The Denver Nuggets hand the Golden State Warriors their 5th straight loss tonight, defeating them 131-124. Nikola Jokic provided another MVP performance by scoring 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists. That is his 75th triple-double which is only three behind the great Wilt Chamberlain. Denver’s offense continued their hot play by putting up 130+ points for the second straight game which is the first time they have done so since March of 2018. Denver’s three-ball was not as consistent as Golden State’s tonight, but they shot 55% from the field and earned 41 free throw attempts. They moved the ball well by handing out 39 assists with only 9 turnovers, and they handled the paint by outscoring the Warriors 66-52 in that area.
The Nuggets moves to 5-8 in back-to-backs this season, but they are 4-1 in their last five. If it were not for that ugly Oklahoma City loss, the Nuggets would be winners of 10 in a row, but winning 9 out of 10 is not bad either. Davon Reed had a career-scoring night with 17 points on 5-7 shooting from three, and Boogie chipped in with 13 points and 6 rebounds. The Nuggets will look for their 4th straight win in Sacramento against the Kings on Wednesday. Tip-off at 8:00 PM MT.
1st Quarter
- The game started with a smooth, acrobatic dunk from Uncle Jeff and then Gordon followed with an and-one layup. Moses Moody started the scoring for the Warriors with a three from the wing
- Moody knocked in his second three which gave the Warriors an 8-6 lead. Jokic then scored his first points of the game with a floater, but Moody answered with his third triple in about three minutes
- Toscano-Anderson forced an early Malone timeout by knocking down another three. That gave Golden State a 14-9 lead until Jokic played bully ball to the hoop for two. Denver then forced a turnover on two straight Golden State possessions and capitalized with a Rivers three
- Monte Morris glided to the rim for an easy right-hand layup which evoked Steve Kerr’s first timeout and a 16-14 Denver lead. After Jokic and Looney traded baskets, Gordon sank two free throws, but Moody responded with a four-point play to tie it up at 20
- Denver’s defense tightened late in the quarter. The Warriors started shooting 5-8, but the Nuggets held them to 2-8 after that stretch. Davon Reed’s triple gave the Nuggets a 28-22 advantage, and a couple of possessions later, he blocked a shot and swished a three at the other end
- Boogie Cousins sank a three for his first shot of the game to give the Nuggets a 34-24 lead. He then assisted a JaMychal Green dunk, and Bones followed with a driving layup. Kuminga answered with a three-point play, and Lee ended the quarter with a floater
Score: 40-31 Nuggets
Scoring leaders: Moody - 15, Jokic - 7
2nd Quarter
- The Warriors started the quarter with four Kuminga points. After a quick Nugget’s timeout, Reed converted his third and fourth three of the game in consecutive possessions.
- Quinndary Weatherspoon’s six straight points diminished the Nugget lead to four, 48-44. Golden State had a 9-2 scoring run until Reed dunked home a Boogie assist and then Forbes converted two free throws
- Moody followed with another three and a driving layup, but Boogie helped maintain the lead with a tip-in layup. Jokic and Moody traded two’s and Kuminga cut the lead to three with a dunk
- Jeff Green’s layup and Jokic’s short jumper extended the lead back to seven, but Poole countered with a corner three
- Jeff Green and Morris combined for four straight, but Poole answered again with a triple. Poole then hit his second consecutive three which cut the lead to one at 66-65.
- Jokic and Poole traded finger-roll layups, and in Denver’s next possession, Monte hit a layup plus a free throw via a technical foul, but Looney ended the quarter with a dunk
Score: 71-69 Nuggets
Scoring leaders: Moody - 22, Jokic/Reed - 14
3rd Quarter
- Moody continued his scorching hot play with a three-point play and Poole added a three to give Golden State a 75-71 lead. Looney and Poole scored five in a row, then Jokic and Uncle Jeff nearly matched it with four consecutive points
- Jordan Poole hit another three to put the score at 83-77, but four straight Green points plus a Morris floater tied it up. Monte then regained the lead with a three and Jokic supplied another floater
- After two Warrior turnovers, Jokic knocked in two free throws and assisted a beautiful Gordon alley-oop. Jokic continued to drop dimes as he assisted a Monte triple, and then Rivers knocked in another three to give the Nuggets a 98-87 lead
- Jokic recorded his 22nd point with a hook shot, and after another Nugget’s stop, Jokic assisted a JaMychal Green layup to extend the lead to 102-88
- After Jokic exited, Denver gave up nine in a row after a Weatherspoon and-one layup. Kuminga added to the scoring run with a driving dunk and following two Boogie free throws, Bjelica ended the quarter with an open dunk
Score: 104-101 Nuggets
Scoring leaders: Moody - 27, Jokic - 22
4th Quarter
- Boogie initiated the scoring with two free throws and a tip-in layup. After a couple of scoreless possessions, Pooles’ two free throws and Lee’s layup cut the lead to three
- Davon Reed hit another three from the top of the arc, and off the bench, Jokic knocked in a mid-range jumper. The next Denver possession, Jokic threw a football pass to Uncle Jeff for a beautiful reverse layup
- Moody and Toscano-Anderson scored five straight, but Jokic restored order with two free throws. Poole sank his 7th triple of the game to decrease the lead to three at 117-114, but after a fantastic Green block, Rivers dropped in a floater
- Kevon Looney followed a Poole miss with a put-back dunk, but Rivers answered by forcing a steal and a dunk at the other end. Jeff Green then sank two free throws, and after a Warrior turnover, Jokic scored an and-one layup
- Poole glided to the rim for a soft right-handed layup and followed with his 8th three. That cut the lead to 126-122 until the Joker dropped in a deep floater with 35 seconds left
- After a Moody missed three, they fouled Jokic as he knocked in one of two. Denver forced another Golden State missed three, and Monte secured the win with two free throws
Score: 131-124 Nuggets
Scoring leaders: Jokic- 32, Poole - 32
Stat leaders
Points: Jokic/Poole - 32
Rebounds: Jokic - 15
Assists: Jokic - 13
Silent hero of the game: Jeff Green - 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block on 7-11 shooting and 4-4 from the free-throw line