Denver Nuggets Make a Huge Rally to Beat Golden State Warriors, 134-131 OT

The Denver Nuggets made a massive rally to force the overtime and to defeat the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center tonight. The final result of this very interesting event was 134-131 for Mike Malone‘s guys.

With 10.8 seconds to go, Nikola Jokic tied the game, at 133-all forcing the overtime, following a battle which seemed lost for the Nuggets at one point, as the Warriors’ lead stretched to 19 points. Also, the Nuggets have almost spoiled the win during the extra five minutes, and after leading seven buckets, allowed the home team to come back down to one. All in all, a roller coaster game in San Francisco.

Eventually, Malik Beasley’s two free-throws with 8.9 seconds to go, sealed the game, setting the final result. Visitors’ shooting guard came off the bench to deliver 27 points and five threes.

“I’m really proud of our guys effort. They continue to battle. I feel bad for them,” said Steve Kerr at the press conference. “they competed, they played really well together with 36 assists, we moved the ball, we fought back.. just couldn’t quite get over the hump.. Denver is one hell of a team and they deserve a lot of credit.”

Right from the start, the Warriors began harassing the Nuggets on both sides of the court. They would end the first period with a 34-19 lead, shooting threes 7-of-12 and having 12 field goals made, while on the other hand, Denver made just five of their 22 attempts.

Golden State kept in the same rhythm at the start of the second frame, but at 3:25 left until the halftime, with Jokic’s basket, Denver cut the gap to 49-43. However, GSW closed the sequence with a 13-2 burst, regaining the safe distance and setting the Chase Center on fire once again. The home team made 12 threes in the first 24 minutes.

The Nuggets slowly started grinding their way back out of the hole, and at the end of the third period, the hosts had an 85-73 lead, but with momentum on Denver’s side. The guests from Colorado would score 40 points in the final 12 minutes, allowing 28, forcing the overtime.

Will Barton dropped 31 points for the guests, hitting 7 threes in 10 tries, and adding 7 assists. Nikola Jokic was two dimes short of another triple-double, having scored 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Also, the Serb had a game-high 8 turnovers.

Michael Porter Jr was again excellent, and the youngster scored 18 points in 28 minutes, also contributing with 10 boards and 5 assists.

“Guys like Michael, Malik and Mason off the bench. … How valuable were those minutes for Michael Porter?” Nuggets coach commented following the event.

Among the hosts, Alec Burks poured 25 points, Damion Lee 21, while D’Angelo Russell had 19 and 9 assists. Glen Robinson III ended the night with 17, Eric Paschall 16 and Jordan Poole 10. Steve Kerr was pleased with the way his rookies played.

This Eric Paschall slam 😳 pic.twitter.com/etssOh7SmS

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 17, 2020

“Both guys, both rookies, really looked better,” he said, “and it’s good to see that. It’s a tough thing to go through a rookie season.. but they are coming off excellent.”

The Warriors (9-34) are meeting the Magic on Sunday. The team from Florida had back-to-back nights in LA before this event, beating the Lakers and losing against the Clippers this Thursday evening. After that, Kerr’s guys are traveling to Portland on Monday.

As for the Nuggets (29-12), they are going back home to have a big contest against Indiana Pacers and, after this one, to kick off a three-game road trip. Malone’s guys will play against the Timberwolves, the Rockets, and the Pelicans during those five days.