The Nuggets asserted themselves for 48 minutes for an assured 114-104 victory against the Warriors, ending their recent struggles in nationally-televised games. The result sees the team back at .500 for the second time this season.
"We needed this. We're .500, we have two more games on this homestand before we go back out on the road and we have to find ways to continue to protect our home court," Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said after the game.
This was a well-rounded win for Malone’s team, which excelled on the defensive end and had seven players in double figures. Nikola Jokić secured a league-leading fifth triple-double on the season, putting up 23 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists on 50 percent shooting. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points, 11 rebounds and four dimes. Denver now aims to go above .500 for the first time this season when it hosts its Rocky Mountain rival, the Utah Jazz, on Sunday (6 p.m. MT, ALTITUDE). Here are the takeaways: Second-half Joker delivers again Stop us if you’ve read this line before: Jokić raised his performance in the second half to help the Nuggets secure a win. In the first half, the Serbian was largely quiet on the scoring end, putting up five points along with six rebounds and four assists. He would pour in 18 points in the final 24 minutes to keep the Nuggets in the driver’s seat Thursday. More impressively, 11 of those points came in the fourth quarter.
Jokić also continued his recent impact in stealing the ball, adding another three takeaways on the night. The center is currently averaging a career-high 1.9 steals and shared a funny anecdote about former teammate Mike Miller after the game.
"Mike Miller always said I'm a cookie monster and I'm going to steal that from him. I'm a cookie monster. Maybe I'm not that good defensively, but I'm a cookie monster. Mike Miller was a cookie monster, too," Jokić said.
"You guard great players as a unit. Even though he had 35, we made some things tough for him and then we were able to get some stops," Malone said.
With Golden State having its difficulties with opponent points off turnovers this season, Denver took full advantage. The home team grabbed 11 steals and forced 19 turnovers, from which it scored 20 points. The Nuggets also out-bodied the Warriors on the glass, powering through for a 50 to 43 edge.
The Nuggets weren’t the offensive force they’ve been in the early stage of the season, but they were effective in moving the ball around with 29 assists on the night. Bench unit continues recent uptick Up against a stalwart Golden State defense, it was the Nuggets reserves that sparked the team to its final result. JaMychal Green was the catalyst for the group as Denver’s bench outscored Golden State’s reserves 41-20. His range once again proved to be invaluable as he went 2 of 2 from downtown to get the Nuggets going in the first quarter. The Nuggets are 5-3 since Green’s return from a preseason injury. He finished the night with 15 points and nine boards.
"I think it's just my style of play, my mental aspect of the game, how I come in. I know my role; I don't try to get outside myself and I'm going to play hard," Green said of his recent performances.
Monte Morris continued his strong start to the season, adding 11 points and three assists. It continues a strong run of play for the Nuggets’ backup point guard, who has been averaging a career-high in points (11.4) and field-goal percentage (52.8) this season. Morris also entered Thursday’s contest as the league leader in assist-to-turnover ratio at 11.7. PJ Dozier also bounced back from a 2-of-9 night in Brooklyn Tuesday to finish with 10 points and six rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes of action.