SAN FRANCISCO — With three seconds left in a tied game, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone set up Nikola Jokic as a safety valve for an inbounds pass at the far end.
First option Jamal Murray sat out the sideline. Neither was second choice Kentavious Caldwell Pope.
Instead, Aaron Gordon handed the ball to Jokic, who dribbled three times in the half court, then stopped to fire a 40-foot shot from the right sideline past Kevon Looney, which went wide as time expired. I was sucked in. That gave the Nuggets an impressive 130-127 victory Thursday night after trailing by 18 points in the fourth quarter.
They finished the game on a 25-4 run.
Jokic had 34 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. He hit a short jumper with 26 seconds left to tie the score at 127.
This opportunity was only possible thanks to a Stephen Curry turnover on the Warriors' final possession.
With the Warriors in position to take the final shot, Curry attempted an ill-advised crosscourt pass that was intercepted by Murray.
“Some things are a little easier to swallow than others,” Curry said. “This is definitely tough.”
Malone said he told Jokic during the timeout to “dribble twice in half court and shoot.”
“And he executed that play perfectly,” Malone said. “But great players make great plays. And for Nicola to catch the ball and do something behind it is just incredible.”
“I’m just trying to get a little closer and throw to the basket,” Jokic said.
“I think that shot is the easiest shot to hit,” Jokic said. “There is no other choice.”
The defending champion Nuggets have won 11 of 13 games and have won six straight on the road. They sent the Warriors, who failed to get back to .500 after a blowout loss in three games on Tuesday night, to a 1-3 start on a seven-game homestand.
Golden State has had double-digit leads several times this season.
“All of these games are contests, and that's what this year is like for us,” Warriors manager Steve Kerr said. “We probably lost four or five that we could have won.”
For Denver, Gordon had 30 points, Murray had 25 points, and Curry led Golden State with 30 points. Klay Thompson added 24 points.
Nuggets forward Peyton Watson said Jokic's confidence in himself helps the team.
“He's very calm and doesn't get too high or too low,” Watson said. “He's an even-keeled guy. So in those big moments he comes in big and just showing that he's calm and collected helps calm everyone else down.”
Golden State pulled away in the third quarter and outscored Denver, which trailed by double digits early in the first half, 44-24, entering the fourth with a 107-94 lead.
“I think I just didn't want to give up,” Jokic said. “It would be easy to make an excuse just by losing a game or having a back-to-back tomorrow…but the players didn't drop their hats. We were really aggressive.”
The Nuggets shot 62 percent from the field and led 70-63 at halftime.
Malone said he was most proud of how his team responded so well to the Warriors on the road.
“When you go to this team, it’s easy to lose your head in this building with that crowd,” Malone said. “And probably what I was most happy about tonight was that we stayed the course after the third quarter, where the coaches, the players, everyone, they dominated.”
The Warriors have missed 11 consecutive games without Draymond Green, who was suspended indefinitely three weeks ago. ESPN reported Thursday that Green was expected to return to the team facility in the coming days in anticipation of a return, but manager Steve Kerr did not confirm the report before the game.
Golden State will be without Gary Payton II for an extended period of time due to a hamstring strain. The Warriors said Pation will be reevaluated in three weeks.
