Lendeborg Erupts, Curry Breaks It Open: Warriors Rout Denver 134-114
Yaxel Lendeborg posted 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead Golden State past Denver 134-114. The story of the night was a Warriors team that absorbed a first-quarter deficit and then methodically dismantled the Nuggets over the final three periods.
Denver came out swinging. Jokic opened the scoring with a 25-foot three — assisted by Murray — and the Nuggets rattled off six straight before Golden State answered. Podziemski hit back-to-back threes, Draymond Green drained one of his own, and the Warriors briefly grabbed a 13-8 lead. But Denver wouldn't fold: Murray and DeRozan combined to flip the score, and Jokic kept feeding the offense with precision. By the time the first quarter closed, Denver led 32-28, with Jokic orchestrating and DeRozan doing damage in the mid-range. Golden State trailed, but it didn't look panicked.
The second quarter is where the script started to flip. Georges Niang hit back-to-back threes — the second off a Curry assist — to give Golden State a 34-32 lead, and Gary Payton II added a tip shot and a layup to push it to 38-32. Curry then buried a 24-foot three to make it 41-36. Denver clawed back through Christian Braun and Marvin Bagley III, and Murray's mid-range jumper gave the Nuggets a 42-41 edge. Bagley converted two free throws to put Denver up 44-41 at the half. It was a genuine game — but the third quarter changed everything. With Denver holding a 52% win probability, Curry drained a 27-foot three assisted by Lendeborg at the 10:48 mark of the third, swinging the home win probability from 52% to 44%. That eight-point swing was the pivot the Warriors needed, and they never looked back.
Lendeborg's final line — 31 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists — looks like a coming-out performance on a big stage. Curry added 24 points, 2 steals, and the shot that broke Denver's back. Podziemski chipped in 18 points and 7 rebounds, giving Golden State three players in double figures with genuine two-way impact. For Denver, Jokic finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists — a triple-double in everything but name — and DeRozan contributed 21 points off his signature pull-up game. Murray added 19 points and 8 assists. The Nuggets' top three all produced; the problem appears to have been everything around them. A 20-point final margin suggests Golden State didn't just win — they controlled the game when it mattered most.