NBA: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets bank on big third quarter to cruise past Warriors
FILE – Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets brings the ball down th3e court against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Ball Arena on February 2, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
Nikola Jokic recorded his league-leading 17th triple-double and the Nuggets used a 16-0 third-quarter burst to break a tie and pull away for a 134-117 victory over the short-handed Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in Denver.
Jokic put up 22 points to go with game-highs in rebounds with 14 and assists with 16 for the Nuggets, who have opened a three-game homestand with back-to-back wins in the wake of consecutive losses on the road.
Back-to-back 20/10/15 games for Nikola Jokic 👀
🃏 22 PTS
🃏 14 REB
🃏 16 AST pic.twitter.com/neOKo4zGJ7— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2023
Playing without teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who were resting on the second night of a back-to-back, Stephen Curry had 28 points to pace the Warriors, who completed a 1-2 trip.
Despite playing an overtime game at Minnesota the night before and then traveling into Denver, the Warriors used 13-for-21 shooting on 3-pointers in the first half to build as much as an 11-point lead.
But following a Jordan Poole layup that produced an 85-85 tie with 5:19 remaining in the third period, the Nuggets got back-to-back 3-pointers from Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to trigger the decisive 16-point run.
Murray added another 3-pointer and an interior hoop to the run, during which the Warriors missed four straight shots and mixed in five turnovers.
33 PTS
5 REB
8 ASTJamal Murray went off in the Nuggets W. pic.twitter.com/4qWyB8NK4l
— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2023
Golden State never got back within single digits in the fourth quarter, dropping to 7-20 on the road.
Murray was the game’s leading scorer with 33 points, hitting 12 of his 23 shots. The Nuggets outshot the Warriors 56.7 percent to 50.6 percent.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 points, while Porter, Vlatko Cancar and Bruce Brown chipped in with 17 apiece for the Nuggets, who have taken the first two meetings with the defending champs this season. They play once more, in San Francisco on April 2.
Curry buried five 3-pointers, while Poole and Donte DiVincenzo hit four apiece for the Warriors, who lost despite shooting 50 percent (19-for-38) from beyond the arc.
Poole finished with 22 points, Jonathan Kuminga 17 and DiVincenzo 14 for Golden State. Andrew Wiggins had a team-high 10 rebounds to go with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting.
