Nuggets hand Warriors 3rd loss after comeback falls short

The Golden State Warriors' third loss of the season came at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

After leading the reigning champs 55-54 at halftime, the Nuggets outscored their opponent by nine points in the third quarter. Despite the impressive cushion the home team worked so hard to establish, the visiting Dubs forced their way back, giving themselves a chance to pick up their 37th win behind a 37-point fourth stanza.

As the final buzzer sounded, however, the crowd inside the Pepsi Center had every reason to cheer as the Nuggets pulled off the 112-110 victory.

With the loss, the Warriors are even with three other historic teams for the most successful start to an NBA season.

Predictably, Stephen Curry was the main catalyst for the Warriors' furious comeback push late in the contest, scoring 38 points - with 20 coming in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors were without do-it-all forward Draymond Green, as he sat the contest out, leaving much of the non-Curry scoring duties to Harrison Barnes (18), Klay Thompson (17), and Andrew Bogut (15).

The Nuggets - now sporting a 15-24 record - were buoyed by Danilo Gallinari's brilliant performance: The Italian went off for 28 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while shooting 17-for-19 from the charity stripe.

Will Barton - who's been a revelation for Denver this season - chipped in with 21 points and six boards.

Apropos of Denver's upset win over the seemingly unstoppable Warriors, ESPN's Tom Haberstroh noted the Nuggets were responsible for upsetting the legendary 1995-96 Chicago Bulls - a team that went on to finish the season with an unparalleled 72-10 record.

The Warriors now hold just a two-and-half game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference supremacy.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are still within reach of the eighth seed, trailing the Utah Jazz by three-and-half games.