The Warriors lost 93-116 to the Nuggets tonight at Denver’s Ball Arena. In the second quarter of the game, a scuffle broke out with a little less than ten minutes left in the half.
It initially seemed like Draymond Green was involved, but eventually ended up being a pushing contest between Zeke Nnaji of the Nuggets, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II of the Warriors. Payton ended up yanking Nnaji’s headband in the process.
Gary Payton just SNATCHED bro’s headband for no reason 😭 pic.twitter.com/L6g2MFC0N2
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 30, 2026
But eventually, the replays for the reviews showed that the scuffle began when L.J. Cryer of the Warriors inadvertently pushed Jamal Murray. The Nuggets’ All-Star pushed Cryer in return when Draymond Green eventually intervened.
He was only involved to the extent of pointing, but Nnaji and Melton eventually held each other and began pushing while Payton pulled off the headband. The play was eventually assessed as a technical foul on each of the three players involved directly, two for the Warriors and one for the Nuggets.
NBA fans saw this incident and took to social media to express their opinions on the scuffle.
“10/10 ragebait.”
“No foul, no warning — just pure theft with confidence. Bro didn’t even argue; he knew it was already gone.”
“He should be punished! The game should be a game, not a battle.”
“Most random, disrespectful thing I’ve seen lately.”
“Hairline reveal. 😂”
“Menace behaviour.”
Gary Payton II ended the game with 16 points, five rebounds, and one assist while shooting 7-8 from the field (87.5 FG%) and 1-2 from beyond the arc (50.0 3P%). While this loss did not mean much for the Warriors, the win has tightened the battle between the Nuggets and the Lakers for the third seed.
In case of a tie, the Lakers (48-26) have the tiebreaker, and they are currently just one game ahead of the Nuggets (48-28). With six games left in the season for the Nuggets, every game is a must-win for them in the race for the third seed in the West.
The Nuggets would prefer finishing with a home-court advantage, but also would like an easier matchup between the Timberwolves and the Rockets (whoever finishes sixth seed).
Denver is currently on a six-game winning streak and will look to extend it in order to come out on top in this intense battle for the playoff seeding in the West.
They now move on to face the Jazz on Wednesday night (April 1), but have two games against the Spurs (56-18), who are battling to reach the top of the Western Conference, and one game against the Thunder (59-16), who are battling to stay at the top, over their next six games.
Therefore, a third or fourth seed finish will not be as easy as it sounds for the Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Warriors will likely face the Trail Blazers in the play-in tournament. A very action-packed end to the regular season is anticipated before we get the Western Conference’s final playoff picture.
