National Basketball Association
Denver 89, Golden State 86
When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Officials: #3 Nick Buchert, #53 John Butler, #24 Kevin Scott
Attendance: 18064

Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 3,000 3-pointers in a career Tuesday night, but Will Barton starred in the game's final minute as the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 89-86 in San Francisco.

Barton scored four of his 21 points in the final 43.6 seconds.

Nikola Jokic had 22 points and a game-high 18 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were playing Golden State for the first time this season and will get an opportunity to sweep a pair when the clubs meet in a rematch Thursday in Denver.

While the Warriors were falling behind by as many as 24 points, Curry struggled without a 3-pointer for almost 36 minutes, missing seven attempts. He finally connected on his milestone trey with 5.3 seconds remaining in the third period to cap a 25-14 Warriors run that trimmed a 24-point halftime deficit to 74-61.

Curry bombed in four more 3-pointers in the fourth period, including one with 2:08 to play that got the Warriors within 84-82.

After a Gary Payton II layup pulled Golden State even with 1:04 to play, Barton tipped in his own miss with 43.6 seconds left for a lead the Nuggets never relinquished. He added two free throws with 32 seconds to go to double the margin.

The Warriors had two chances to tie, including one final possession with 2.3 seconds to go, but Andre Iguodala misfired on a potential overtime-creating 3-pointer, allowing the Nuggets to record a second straight win.

Curry finished with a game-high 23 points for the Warriors, making five of his 14 3-point attempts. His teammates combined to make just five of their 18 from beyond the arc.

Jokic also contributed five assists and four steals to the victory.

The Nuggets won the game at the foul line despite making just 13 of 20. That's because the Warriors missed 15 of their 31, with rookie Jonathan Kuminga going just 3-for-10 on a nine-point night.

Kuminga, seeing additional playing time with Draymond Green having gone into health and safety protocols, also had an interior shot blocked by Jokic with 3.7 seconds remaining with the Warriors down by two.

Andrew Wiggins added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors, while Payton chipped in with 11 points and Juan Toscano-Anderson had 10.

In snapping Golden State's three-game winning streak, the Nuggets dominated the first half, starting with a 10-0, game-opening burst. Barton had 17 of his 21 points in the first half, when Denver also had a 13-0 run en route to a 60-36 halftime advantage.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Denver   Golden State
Nikola Jokic 22 Scoring Stephen Curry 23
Facundo Campazzo 7 Assists Stephen Curry 4
Nikola Jokic 19 Rebounds Nemanja Bjelica 8
Nikola Jokic 6 Free Throws Made Stephen Curry 6
Nikola Jokic 4 Steals Otto Porter Jr. 3
Will Barton 1 Blocks Kevon Looney 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 89 41.0 8-33 13-20 24 44 5 10 16
Golden State 86 41.7 10-32 16-31 20 43 2 8 17
Upcoming Games
  • Golden State will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Warriors have a W/L % of .750 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .529 after a win and .500 after a loss.