Golden State tops shorthanded Nuggets despite Jokic’s 35-20-12 night
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Nikola Jokic delivered a 35-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist performance on Sunday, yet the Denver Nuggets fell 128-117 to a Golden State Warriors squad missing its four highest-paid players at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Golden State played without Jimmy Butler (season-ending ACL tear), Stephen Curry (knee soreness), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Draymond Green (late back tightness), a quartet earning a combined $170.3 million this season. Even so, the Warriors drained 15 first-half three-pointers and built a 14-point cushion against a Denver defense completing its third road game in four days following the All-Star break and an early 12:30 p.m. tip.
“Our whole game plan going in was just keep the pressure on them,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “We were rested, and they were not.”
Al Horford, starting in Green’s place, exploited Jokic’s help defense by hitting six threes and scoring 22 points—his highest total since joining Golden State. “That was confusing,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said of the late lineup change. “Obviously, the game plan was very different.”
Denver surged in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 34-19 while Jokic played the entire period and posted 14 points and seven boards, giving the Nuggets a six-point edge before he sat briefly. Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski then swung momentum back to Golden State, going 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter for 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists. He finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
“We know what he can do from the last couple years,” Kerr said of Podziemski. “It’s really more about finding that sweet spot where he’s making plays but not dominating the ball.”
Jokic returned for the final six minutes but managed only three points and one rebound as the Warriors closed on an 11-point advantage. The contest marked his 10th appearance since missing 16 games with a hyperextended knee.
“I’ve never been in this situation,” Jokic said. “Definitely need a little bit more time, a little bit more games than usual.”
Source: ESPN
