Thompson, Green back on the court in Warriors' loss to Nuggets
SAN FRANCISCO -- Nikola Jokic had 21 points as visiting Denver defeated the Warriors on a night that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green returned to action for Golden State.
Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points for the Nuggets, and Bones Hyland finished with 19 points.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points, and Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points. James Wiseman scored 15 points, while Thompson scored 14 points, playing 17 minutes.
It was the first action of the preseason for Thompson, who is still ramping up for the preseason. Meanwhile, Green returned to the lineup after his punch of Jordan Poole during a practice last week. The team fined Green, but he was not suspended for his actions. Green played 24 minutes in his return, scoring two points.
Many fans said they just came to see how the team would gel after the disruptive incident between Green and Poole.
Green walked onto the court during the starting lineup introduction to cheers from the fans.
There was no detectable awkwardness among the team on his first night back with the Warriors after he hit Poole. Green pledged to work on himself during his time off.
"That's the reason why we came, because we wanted to see how the dynamics would be, see Draymond, how the crowd would react, if they would accept him back," said Philipp Quiroz of Antioch. "Because I know there's a lot of practice from what happened in practice, but for the most part I think it's probably water under the bridge."
"To be honest when I stepped in here, it was kind of intriguing to see how everyone would react, but it's kind of like a memory at this point," said Mike Cortez of San Francisco.
Christina Green of Oakland said the fallout from the punch was a teaching moment as a parent.
"I tell my son everybody makes mistakes and that was one of the mistakes that Draymond did, and he apologized and he did apologize, and you have to apologize for your actions," she said.
The front office decided to bring Green back with Poole's approval.
"Coming out with Kerr and that interview saying that Poole was obviously in that decision as well, you gotta trust the team and obviously what they built throughout the years," said Jonathan Li of San Francisco.
The night was filled with thunderous cheers for veteran Klay Thompson, who made several incredible shots in his preseason debut.
"I love Klay. Klay is like a hometown hero, my daughter's favorite player," said David Mac of San Francisco.
After the game Thompson addressed the relationship.
"It's in the past, and it was very unfortunate, but I think...time will heal all wounds. I love both those guys," he said in the press conference following the game.
On Tuesday, the Warriors open the season against the Lakers. The team is urging fans to arrive early and be in their seats by 6:30 p.m. for the pregame championship ring celebration.