Nikola Jokic Dominates the Warriors With Monstrous Triple-Double in Historic Win

First, Denver got in Golden State’s head.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Patrick McCaw 19 and Ian Clark 18 for Golden State (46-9).

Mason Plumlee, acquired by Denver from the Portland Trail Blazers for Jusuf Nurkic in a deal finalized Monday, was in the building but not available. If the season ended today, these two teams would meet in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. On the other side, the over is 8-0 in the Nuggets’ last eight games versus a team with a straight up record and is 39-16-2 in their last 57 home games. The Warriors are fine on that front; they should have plenty of firepower in May and June.

Gallinari also moves well without the ball and isn’t a ball dominant player which fits perfectly in with the Clippers who should be getting Paul back from a torn ligament in his thumb in the near future. PF Kenneth Faried (right ankle sprain) and SF Danilo Gallinari (left groin strain) are out. “But the fact that we didn’t quit, that is going to pay off for us at some point”. Entering Friday, it was No. 1 in the National Basketball Association with an opponent three-point shooting percentage of 31.9 – more than two full percentage points bettter than No. 2 San Antonio. “Just got served a humble slice of cupcake”. Jokic, however, might be the most fun to watch right now.

Quotable: “I thought it would be a little louder. And keep playing my game”.

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. Sure, the Warriors were coming off a brutal back-to-back set, and yes, they were without four of their own guys, and I suppose the elevation doesn’t help, but that doesn’t explain getting absolutely smoked by the eighth-seeded Nuggets. They defeated a team that had won almost 20 more games than them on the season, and by a long shot.

The only Denver player who didn’t join the long-range barrage was Nikola Jokic, who was too busy setting career highs with 12 assists and 21 rebounds to go with 17 points in his second career triple-double.

“He is a very special player”, Darrell Arthur told The Denver Post. He’s a tough guard. He makes everyone better – and he’s still getting better.

He was drafted just two years ago, and if you don’t remember the Nuggets taking the 6-foot-10 Nokic in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, it’s not your fault.