As the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors continue to chase the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ regular-season record of 72 wins, some parallels emerge between the teams.
They share a potent offense (both led the NBA in points per game), a staunch defense (both scored 11 points a game more than than their opponents) and a seemingly unstoppable guard (Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry).
Oh, and both share Steve Kerr — a player for the Bulls, a coach for the Warriors.
But only one franchise managed to beat both teams: The Denver Nuggets.
That’s right, the Nuggets left blemishes on both of these squads.
On Feb. 4, 1996, behind Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s 32 points, Denver held on to win 105-99 over the eventual NBA champions at McNichols Arena.
: “Beat them? Hell, for one half they humiliated them, toyed with them, made them look like an expansion team. Why, the Nuggets never led the Toronto Raptors or the Vancouver Grizzlies by 31 points when they beat them this season. But they enjoyed such an advantage on the Bulls after only 21 minutes.”
Jordan erupted for 39, powering the Bulls back into striking distance, but Denver held on for the win.
Fast forward two decades to the Pepsi Center. Against the Warriors, who had just two losses in 38 games entering the match, the 14-24 Nuggets struck for gold.
: “The Nuggets aren’t arguing the value of Wednesday night, even as they put on poker faces afterward, keeping smiles to a minimum.
“Because for a team looking to create something different, something meaningful, something hopeful, this was a big, big night.
“Huge night.
“The Nuggets became just the third team to beat the Warriors this season, 112-110 on Wednesday in a Pepsi Center full of fans that won’t soon forget this night.”
By the way, Curry scored 38 in the loss.
The season’s not over yet for Golden State. The Warriors have 27 games remaining and five teams — Orlando, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Miami and New Orleans — have a total of six chances to join the Nuggets in their footnote.
But it only matters if Golden State gets to at least 70 wins to join Chicago as the only NBA teams to do so.
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Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @JoeNguyen
