SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandin Podziemski scored 12 of his 18 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 128-117 on Sunday.
Podziemski shot 7 of 16 and added 15 rebounds and nine assists. Al Hoford hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points and seven assists as the Warriors ended a two-game losing streak despite being without Stephen Curry (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (sick) and Jimmy Butler (torn right ACL). Draymond Green (back) was also a late scratch.
Moses Moody had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors. DeAnthony Melton added 20 points.
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists for Denver. It’s Jokic’s fifth triple-double in seven games, 19th of the season and the 183rd of his career.
Jamal Murray scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had won three of five. Christian Braun scored 18 and Bruce Brown added 12.
Coming off a 54-point win over Portland on Friday, Denver never led in the first half. The Nuggets made a run in the second half before Golden State closed the game on a 19-8 run.
Podziemski led the Warriors with a pair of 3s and a put-back during the run. Horford added his sixth 3-pointer and had the Chase Center crowd rocking.
Horford got the Warriors going early with a pair of 3-pointers and 11 points in the first quarter.
Golden State extended its lead to 76-67 in the second despite Jokic being one assist shy of his triple-double before halftime.
Up next
Nuggets: Host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Warriors: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
