SAN FRANCISCO – For years, the Warriors have been criticized and ridiculed for their small-ball lineup with Steph Curry leading at the one, 6-foot-6 Draymond Green anchoring at the five, and a blend of different lineups in between.

Even while that lineup formula has worked for Golden State, proven with four championship banners hanging in the Chase Center rafters, it’s also been a cause for concern against teams with size.

Such as the Denver Nuggets.

So when the Nuggets dropped 70 points against a depleted Golden State defense with no answers for a scorching hot Aaron Gordon, Steve Kerr and Warriors coaches knew it was time to go to the drawing boards and make a change.

Little did they – or anyone – know that change would end up saving them the game.

Golden State started Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and Green. But the closing lineup looked much different.

Different than how they started and different than what they’ve been used to years prior.

Curry. Butler. Kuminga. Green. Al Horford.

The “monster lineup” was conceived on the fly, with zero prior experience playing or practicing together.

“It was during a timeout,” Kerr recalled after the Warriors’ 137-131 overtime win against the Nuggets on Thursday night. “[Warriors assistant] Terry [Stotts] suggested it. Chris DeMarco also suggested it, and they just thought the way Steph was going with Jimmy out there, we were going to score. That was my biggest concern. Can we execute? And they just reminded me, we have Steph and Jimmy, and they’ll find a way to score. And they did.

“It was fantastic to watch the defense with that kind of size and length, and our guys did a great job finishing what was just a phenomenal basketball game.”

Kerr admitted that before Thursday night, he – nor any Warriors coaches – ever gave that lineup any consideration.

But they went with their gut, and it paid off.

“No, we never even talked about that combination until tonight, but it just felt like the right thing to do,”  he said. “And they were having their way with us throughout the game. Gordon with 50. We just felt like we couldn’t stop them. And we just felt like to win the game, we were going to have to get our best defensive lineup on the floor, our most athletic lineup. And obviously Steph and Jimmy handled the offensive side of the ball. 

“We had a lot of guys step up and make big plays. Al knocking down shots. JK with the steal, a layup, a big rebound down the stretch. So it was really fun to watch that group that’s never played together close a game against one of the best teams in the league.”

From one coach to another, Green had a different outlook on the lineup.

The 14-year veteran, who lives and breathes the Xs and Os of the game, had an inkling that the Warriors could turn to that combination at some point in the season.

“I did. I knew it was a possibility to be a closing lineup, starting lineup or middle of the game [lineup],” Green said. “But I think what worked was we had proper spacing. We were able to get a lot of stops. We switched a lot. Kept bodies on bodies, and then that group was really able to come up with the rebound. So down the stretch, they had one shot. They didn’t make it. We were off to the races. So I think defensively, it was really good for us. And then everybody just found the proper space and allowed us to make the plays. 

“We made the plays down the stretch. And obviously Steph was incredible. Jimmy made a couple of huge plays down the stretch, including a shot. Al had a big shot. JK was hawking [Jamal] Murray still. So that steal and finish he came up with was great. So we were able to put it all together at the end with that group.”

Horford, who already has displayed his impact in a short amount of time since signing with the Warriors late this offseason, was willing to do whatever it took to give his team a shot to win.

Horford made three 3-pointers in his official Chase Center debut as a Warrior, but his final one came when it mattered most in overtime.

“We were kind of fighting for our lives there near the end, just trying to get stops, trying to do whatever we can on the defensive end and on offense, just continuing to figure it out, playing off of Steph, playing off of Draymond and Jimmy,” Horford said postgame. “I was just trying to be out there trying to make plays. But for us, it’s just playing to win.

“And with that lineup, even though we haven’t played together, that was the feeling behind it. We wanted to do a good job defensively, and then on offense, making sure that we’re getting to space and we’re getting good looks and we’re not turning the ball over.”

While the “monster lineup” isn’t traditional without a true shooting guard, Kerr diminished the significance of that, acknowledging how the game has become positionless basketball in recent years.

He won’t use it all the time. But after experimenting against a championship-caliber team like the Nuggets — and it working — it likely will be used again.

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