Nikola Jokic has third straight triple-double to help Nuggets beat Warriors, 119-103

By JANIE McCAULEY

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists for his third straight triple-double and 18th of the season after his long buzzer-beater against Golden State sealed the last meeting, leading the defending champion Denver Nuggets past the Warriors again in a 119-103 victory Sunday night.

Jokic hit a Stephen Curry-like 40-footer as Denver rallied back for a 130-127 win at Chase Center on Jan. 4, then topped Curry and Co. to sweep the four-game season series. On Sunday, Jokic shot 13 for 24 on the way to his 122nd career regular-season triple-double.

Klay Thompson scored 23 points all in the first half and Curry overcame a slow start missing his first seven 3-point tries before finishing with 20 points - all but four scored in the second half. He hit his only 3 with 3:26 left in the third in a 1-for-10 performance from deep. The two-time MVP passed both Dwyane Wade (23,165) for 32nd place and Adrian Dantley (23,177) for 31st on the NBA’s scoring list.

Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Aaron Gordon 17 in the Nuggets' seventh consecutive victory against the Warriors and 10th in 11 and also their fifth in a row on Golden State’s home floor since a 113-102 defeat on March 10, 2022.

Down 65-61 after Curry’s driving layup at the 10:30 mark of the third, the Nuggets answered with another 14-0 burst to go up 75-65. Jokic scored consecutive layups before Murray scored five straight. They also ended the first half on a 14-0 run over the final 2:47 to tie the game at 61 heading into intermission.

Thompson hit 5 of his initial 7 shots and 4 of 6 3-pointers and had 23 points by halftime on 7-for-12 shooting. He received a warm standing ovation when he sat down for a breather with 4:51 to go in the second quarter.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 19 points and Andrew Wiggins made his first four shots on the way to 14 for Golden State, which had won three straight and 10 of 12.

Draymond Green had seven points, five rebounds and four assists in his first matchup with Denver this season after missing the previous three - two of those while serving separate suspensions and the first on Nov. 8 for personal reasons.

Kevon Looney played his 284th consecutive game in both regular season and playoffs, matching Neil Johnston for fifth-longest such streak in franchise history.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Host Kings on Wednesday night having lost the three previous meetings this season, including by 29 points at Sacramento on Feb. 9 before a 102-98 defeat in Denver on Feb. 14.

Warriors: At Washington on Tuesday night to begin a four-game East Coast trip.

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