DENVER — Prior to the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone shrugged his shoulders and dismissed the notion that his short-handed team against the defending Western Conference champion was anything other than an opportunity to shock the NBA world.
“Whoever’s available, let’s go out there and play, man,” he said. “Don’t go out there defeated. Go out there and accept the challenge. Let’s go out there and play with the belief that we can win this game.”
Well.
They did.
And then some.
Playing the most inspired basketball of the season, the Nuggets minus Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, Emmanuel Mudiay and new acquisition Mason Plumlee pulled off what most thought would be impossible: Beating the Warriors.
Not only beating the Warriors, but thoroughly whipping the Warriors, 132-110 on an electric Monday night at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets signature win of the season got its juice from record-setting 3-point shooting.
They made three after three after three….after three.
The Nuggets made 24 3-pointers, a team record for 3-pointers made in a game and a mark that tied the NBA record for 3-pointers made in a game. They had 16 of them by halftime, which tied an NBA-record for 3-pointers made in a half. Six players made at least two. Four players made at least five. It was a season-high in 3-point percentage (60 percent). The entire team was on fire at the same time.
And on a night where the Pepsi Center was sold out and a good many of them were Golden State fans, it was the Nuggets faithful that partied. On the court the offensive stats the Nuggets put up were immense.
– 132 points
– Juancho Hernangomez with a season and career high 27 points. He made six 3-pointers. He also had a career-high 10 rebounds.
– Nikola Jokic had his second career triple-double with 17 points, a career-high 21 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
– Jameer Nelson had a season-high 23 points.
– Will Barton had another double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds.
It was that kind of night.
The Nuggets started off hot, scoring 42 points in the first quarter, and never cooled off. Hernangomez had 17 of his total by halftime. The Nuggets led by as many as 28 points in the game. They outscored Golden State 72-24 from the 3-point line. That never happens. But on this night, it did.
The game was so well in hand that Golden State didn’t bother to play its stars, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, in the fourth quarter at all. The Warriors’ second unit did cut into the lead, getting it down to nine, but the Nuggets quickly pushed it back to 17 and held on from there.
Nuggets 132, Warriors 110
GOLDEN STATE
Durant 10-16 3-3 25, Green 1-5 3-4 5, McGee 4-6 0-0 8, Curry 4-18 2-2 11, McCaw 8-13 2-2 19, McAdoo 0-1 0-0 0, Looney 1-3 0-0 3, Jones 2-3 0-0 4, Weber 1-3 0-0 2, Iguodala 6-9 2-2 15, Clark 8-15 0-0 18. Totals 45-92 12-13 110.
DENVER
Barton 9-19 2-2 24, Hernangomez 9-17 3-4 27, Jokic 7-13 3-4 17, Nelson 9-14 0-0 23, Harris 6-12 0-2 16, O’Bryant 1-1 2-2 5, Beasley 0-1 0-0 0, Murray 5-9 2-2 14, Miller 2-2 0-0 6. Totals 48-88 12-16 132.
3-Point goals — Golden State 8-32 (Clark 2-3, Durant 2-5, Looney 1-1, Iguodala 1-4, McCaw 1-5, Curry 1-11, Weber 0-1, Green 0-2), Denver 24-40 (Hernangomez 6-9, Nelson 5-7, Harris 4-7, Barton 4-8, Miller 2-2, Murray 2-5, O’Bryant 1-1, Beasley 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Golden State 27 (McGee 7), Denver 52 (Jokic 21). Assists — Golden State 25 (Green 6), Denver 34 (Jokic 12). Total fouls — Golden State 13, Denver 14. A — 19,941 (19,155).
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