Golden State Warriors Lose Preseason Debut To Denver; Twitter Reacts

Despite a not-so devastating loss to the Denver Nuggests in their preseason opener, defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, still managed to put on an exciting match that left the final score sitting at 108-102. While the team has returned to the hardwood with 12 of the same players, five of them starting, their dominance couldn’t prevail with Steph Curry dropping off 11 points the whole game while Finals MVP Kevin Durant exploded with 10 points within approximately 24 minutes.

While all eyes settled on the start of the game ahead of tipoff, both the Warriors and Nuggets teams stood throughout the national anthem one week after President Donald Trump condemned athletes who kneel during the anthem as a form of protest and one day after the NBA sent out a league reminding teams that players are all required to stand during the anthem.

"It wasn't a discussion or a decision," said Draymond Green. "We said what we had to say. Everybody knows where we stand. We don't need to do anything else to show where we stand. Everyone knows where we stand." Last week, Trump also rescinded his White House invitation from the Warriors following what he perceived to be “hesitation” from Curry. The move led to responses from the likes of Ayesha Curry and Lebron James among others, speaking out against Trump’s actions.

While national anthem protests stayed quiet this go around with the Lakers and Timberwolves’ matchup of the same night only resulting in both teams locking arms ahead of tipoff, the Warriors-Nuggets game kicked off with the presentation of the Defensive Player of The Year trophy to Draymond Green, presented by Ben Wallace, a four-time recipient of the accolade.

As is the case with all exhibition matches, stakes were low, if they existed at all, with an exemplary performance coming through on both ends. Nonetheless, the game is still on fans' minds. Take a look at Twitter’s top responses and reactions to the match below.