Well, there’s no need to sugarcoat that. The Golden State Warriors lost to the Denver Nuggets 119-115 on Tuesday night, and it was probably their most painful loss of the season. Expectations may have been low considering the Dubs were playing on the road, facing a star-studded lineup and missing Draymond Green, but the Warriors played hard most of the night and even built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But since a win was expected there, Golden State fell apart as the game progressed. In the final two and a half minutes, the Nuggets outscored the Warriors 11-0, stealing the game and extending Golden State’s losing streak to five games.

Now let’s evaluate the players involved in the promotion. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a grade of “B” representing that player’s average performance.

Note: True Shooting Percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that takes three-pointers and free throws into account. Entering games on Tuesday, the league average TS was 57.3%.

Jonathan Kuminga

29 minutes, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 fouls, 9-for-18 shooting, 1-for-2 three-pointers, 0-for-2 free throws, 50.3% TS , -7

I’m not entirely sure what to think of Kuminga’s game. He got the start in Green’s absence and took over in coverage for Aaron Gordon. He was aggressive from the jump, scoring seven of the team’s first 14 points while also playing defense.

As the playing time increased, the effect diminished. In the end it wasn’t an efficient scoring evening and there were a few bad fouls. But at the same time, he kept playing all over the field.

I feel like I had a bit of that conundrum with Kuminga this year. He often seemed like a player who was blossoming into the star quarterback role the Warriors envisioned, but then the game is over and I wonder how much he actually helped them win.

And in this game, I’m just not sure what the answer was, but I firmly believe he played better than the stats suggest.

Grade: B+

Kevon Looney

25 minutes, 5 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 6 fouls, 2-for-3 shooting, 1-for-4 free throws, 52.5% TS, -3

With the best basketball player in the world at the opposing center position, Looney had his first start of the year and his most minutes of the season. He was absolutely brilliant in the first quarter against Nikola Jokić, holding the three-time MVP to two points and two turnovers in their first appearance on the court together.

However, he definitely faded as the game progressed. He played really good defense against Jokić all evening, but certainly couldn’t shut him down as Jokić finished with an efficient 38 points while Looney was fouled late in the game. Still, I don’t really want to think about what the Dubs would have looked like in this game without Looney.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins

31 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 three-pointers, 5-for-5 free throws, 70.7% TS , -20

Kind of a strange game for Wiggins. He displayed extremely efficient scoring play while also making some great plays in defense and passing the ball.

He also had some strange mistakes, with a few uncharacteristic fouls, a series of plays where he lost the action and was beaten on a cut, and on the Warriors’ final possession he slipped, fell and lost the ball.

I caution people against placing too much emphasis on a single plus/minus play, which is doubly true in this game as Wiggins’ minutes largely matched Jokić’s. Still, it felt like that number reflected the fact that the Warriors seemed to play better when he wasn’t on the court.

So far I’m 0-3. I don’t know how to grade anyone tonight!

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: The worst plus/minus on the team.

Steph Curry

34 minutes, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 turnovers, 8-for-23 shooting, 4-for-15 three-pointers, 4-for-4 free throws, 48.5% TS, +5

An unusually poor night of shooting from Curry, who certainly found other ways to compensate. He came out of the gate at quarterback and it took a long time for him to actually fire a shot. He had some brilliant passes throughout the evening, although the five turnovers are difficult to bear. I thought he played pretty well on defense. And he was the main reason the team almost escaped in the fourth quarter.

But…there’s no hiding the fact that he just doesn’t seem to be at 100% right now. I’m not sure if physical discomfort, rust or something else.

Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists.

Brandin Podziemski

25 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 0-for-3 three-pointers, 0-for-1 free throws, 56.8% TS , -13

Podziemski had a chance to be in the starting lineup and it appears his early season scoring woes are in the rearview mirror. He scored five of the team’s first seven points and created very good looks by aggressively getting to the rim. He also had a very challenging opening task against Michael Porter Jr., which he handled well.

However, he definitely had some mistakes from young players in the second half. He struggled to defend without fouling, and some of his fouls were pretty bad. He had a few rough turnovers and ultimately wasn’t in the final line-up despite his good performance in the first half.

The Dubs are starting to see the All-Rookie selection that Podz was last year, but it also comes with a few problems.

Grade: B

Trayce Jackson Davis

22 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 59.5% TS, +5

I didn’t expect TJD to play 22 minutes off the bench, but playing a team with a great center (who played 40 minutes) while Green was unavailable meant a solid role for Jackson-Davis, and he played really good.

There are certainly still gaps, but he’s really improved his defense lately (look, Jokić will get it no matter who defends him) and has also found more ways to get to his spots on offense while also being one Contributing when he isn’t scoring points.

Grade: A-

Kyle Anderson

19 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 2-for-4 shooting, 50.0% TS, 0 +/-

One of Anderson’s best games in a Warriors jersey. He really made a difference on defense, skillfully running the offense and preparing his teammates while showing he could still provide variety. Fantastic performance.

Grade: A

Buddy Hield

21 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 2-for-8 shooting, 2-for-6 three-pointers, 37.5% TS, -6

Certainly not Hield’s best night, although he did find himself in the final lineup as Steve Kerr desperately searched for a basket (which Hield and the four Warriors he shared the court with couldn’t provide).

His spacing and instant offense make him a valuable player, but Hield just doesn’t do all that much outside of shooting. And if those shots don’t come in, well…

Grade: C-

Gary Payton II

14 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 foul, 5-for-6 shooting, 1-for-2 three-pointers, 91.7% TS, +18

Wow. What a fantastic performance from Payton, who had plenty of offensive energy that he used to repeatedly beat defensive players and hit clean throws. He was also as disruptive on defense as we have come to expect from him. Kerr is obviously trying to find ways to shorten the rotation a bit, and it could be a good thing if that means more minutes for GPII.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Moses Moody

21 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-6 three-pointers, 3-for-3 free throws, 57.4% TS, +1

Moody has been struggling a bit lately, but this felt like a really nice game for him. He had a more stable role than previous nights and seemed able to find a good rhythm on both ends of the court. I really liked what I saw from him.

Grade: B+

Tuesday’s DNPs: Gui Santos, Pat Spencer, Lindy Waters III
Inactive on Tuesday: Reece Beekman, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Quinten Post