Golden State Warriors give 'scary' glimpse at new 'death lineup' in Game 1 win

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have a long-standing history of small-ball lineups. During the first championship run of their dynastic era, their small lineup was so lethal it was dubbed the «death lineup.»

It has gone through a few different renditions since then, but as the Warriors embark on their first playoff run in two years, it appears they have the newest version.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins played just five minutes together in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, but in those minutes they outscored the Nuggets by 14 points. And it was those five minutes that shifted the momentum toward the Warriors going into halftime of Saturday night's eventual 123-107 win.

«It's a scary sight when we really get going,» Thompson said. «This is really only our first time really playing together.»

Poole has been peppering his veteran teammates with questions about playoffs for the past three years. He wanted to be ready whenever his chance to perform on the NBA's biggest stage came. But according to Kerr, it's not just his questions that prepared the third-year guard. Their two play-in games last year gave him a taste of the pressure he'd face during their run this season.

«He's not afraid of the moment,» Kerr said. «He's looking forward to it.»

Curry singled out a play that occurred with about three minutes left in the first half, when Poole came in transition and cut back and forth through the key for a layup.

«He doesn't lack confidence,» Curry said. «That play embodied it. Because you just have the creativity and confidence in yourself to make that play. You don't second-guess yourself. You kind of live with the results and we've done it