Denver Nuggets strong 4th quarter leads them over Golden State Warriors: Nikola Jokic 3-time MVP?

The past 2 NBA champions faced off in this game, and it was close for 36 minutes. However, in the 4th quarter the Denver Nuggets widened the gap and eventually defeated the Golden State Warriors 119-103 at Chase Center behind a dominant Nikola Jokic performance.

The Joker is a 2-time MVP and is on his way to winning his 3rd this season with the way he’s playing. The 29-year-old center is playing as dominant as ever, affecting the game with or without scoring. His basketball IQ is unmatched and his skills as a big man are other-worldly. The 2023 Finals MVP is doing things never before seen and is making his case to add more accolades to his already impressive resume.

In this game, the 6-time All-Star finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists. This was Jokic’s 139th career triple-double and he just passed LeBron James for the fourth most career triple-doubles in NBA history.

Jamal Murray also shined in this matchup, scoring 27 points on 56% shooting. Aaron Gordon had 17 points on 70% shooting while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points. Michael Porter Jr. struggled in this one, ending with 9 points on 3/11 shooting.

For the Warriors, Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with 23 points and 5 three pointers off the bench. Stephen Curry scored 20 points but struggled from the field, shooting 6/19 and 1/10 from deep. Jonathan Kuminga had a good game, finishing with 19 points and Andrew Wiggins contributed 14 points. Draymond Green ended with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

This win improves the Nuggets to 39-19, which makes them 4th in the Western Conference but only 1.5 games away from the top seed. That shows how tight the race for #1 is in the West, and every game counts so this victory was huge for Denver. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games and currently on a 3-game winning streak. Their next game will be on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings where they’ll look to continue this momentum.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Warriors to 29-27, making them 10th in the Western Conference. Golden State is 4 games behind the 6th seeded Pelicans for the last playoff spot and 3.5 games above the 11th seeded Jazz for the last play-in tournament spot. This loss snapped a 3-game winning streak and they are now 8-2 over their last 10 games. Their next game will be on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.