They did it again. The Denver Nuggets rattled off another victory. They're now undefeated since the All-Star break, a perfect 3-0.
The Nuggets snagged a 119-103 road victory against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. This was Denver's fourth victory in four tries against the Warriors, solidifying their second-straight regular season series sweep. They've won in 10 of their last 11 meetups with the Warriors and are 7-0 since falling to Golden State in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs.
"In this building against that team, we know what they're capable of, and we know that they're also a highly motivated team right now," head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday. "We get up for everybody that we play. We know that as the reigning World Champions, we're gonna get the best no matter who we're playing."
This was a pretty difficult stretch for the Nuggets. They played 3 games in 4 days including Sunday's ESPN headliner and won in all three.
Nikola Jokić recorded his third-straight triple-double with 32 points on 13-of-24 from the field, 16 assists, and 16 rebounds. He became the first player in NBA history to tally at least 14 rebounds and 14 assists in three straight games.
"Anybody playing with Nikola, it's going to make life easier for them because Nikola is just such a great player and he makes everyone around him better," said Malone.
Jamal Murray had a brilliant showing with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 3-of-5 from three-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. After the game, he said that playing against Golden State's Stephen Curry is a major motivator for him.
"Every time I see him, I always try to bring that energy," Murray said about Curry. "He brings the best out of you."
The game started off fairly even until Klay Thompson caught on fire. He would go on to score 23 first-half points and help the Warriors build a 16-point lead. However, Murray came alive in the second quarter and scored 16 points. The Nuggets closed out the half strong on a 21-5 run when Aaron Gordon sealed his man for a layup and Murray hit a twirling three-pointer out of a handoff with Jokić. Miraculously, the defending champions erased the 16-point deficit and tied the ballgame at halftime, 61-61.
Denver immediately went on a 14-0 run to begin the second half and put their stamp on the game. Curry shrugged off a slow start and scored 14 points in the third quarter, and the Warriors went on a 12-4 run. Christian Braun and Zeke Nnaji gave Denver great fourth-quarter minutes; Nnaji grabbed two huge offensive rebounds, while Braun played tenacious defense and recorded a block. This helped Denver go on a 13-5 run and build an 11-point lead. Golden State had one last push in them, but then the Nuggets put them away with their patented two-man game between Murray and Jokić.