The Denver Nuggets got out to a hot start in their game against the Golden State Warriors as they were holding Stephen Curry to an ice-cold shooting night to start the game. Will Barton was leading the scoring charge with double-digit points in the first quarter while Nikola Jokic was working his way towards another triple-double with points, rebounds and assists quickly piling up. Denver’s defense on Curry continued, as they held the elite sharpshooter to zero points in the first quarter and held a 31-16 lead heading into quarter two.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same for Denver. The scoring was coming from various sources with the stars needing more help than normal with Monte Morris and Aaron Gordon on the shelf. Bones Hyland, Zeke Nnaji and JaMychal Green were chipping in a few points off the bench that was remaining a strong unit for Denver again. Curry finally put some points on the board in the second quarter, but the team was relying on Andrew Wiggins for a hefty amount of their scoring and were trailing 60-36 heading into halftime.

Denver’s hot start ran cold in the third quarter, as the Warriors went on a quick sprint of scoring to start the period and rapidly cut into Denver’s big lead. Wiggins was up to 19 points on the night, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range with the third quarter winding down. Meanwhile, Curry was just 1-of-7, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range. Jokic had already notched a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He was just looking to finish the night strong, and feeding Barton would be a strong way to rack up assists, as Barton was 6-of-10 and 4-of-6 from downtown. The Warriors finished the quarter strong, and they had cut Denver’s lead to 13 heading into the final period.

Denver’s cold shooting from the third quarter continued into the fourth quarter, as the Warriors finally got Curry going, and he had poured in 10 points in the first eight minutes of the quarter. The Warriors were finally within single digits, and it was time for Jokic to start to close the game out. The Warriors continued to battle back and eventually tied the game at 84 before the Nuggets went on a quick 4-point run. Denver turned the ball over and nearly gave the game away before they were able to get a stop before Facundo Campazzo iced the game at the line for the Nuggets to win 89-86.

Stat Leaders

Points: Nikola Jokic – 22

Assists: Facundo Campazzo – 7

Rebounds: Jokic – 18

Player of the Game: Nikola Jokic – 22 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 8-of-19 field goal, 6-of-8 free throw