By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 06:01 BST, 30 March 2026 | Updated: 06:01 BST, 30 March 2026
DENVER (AP) - Nikola Jokic had 25 points and 15 rebounds, Jamal Murray had 20 points, and the surging Denver Nuggets beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors 116-93 on Sunday night.
Jokic finished two assists shy of his fifth straight triple-double but led Denver to its sixth consecutive win. The Nuggets (48-28) are two games ahead of Minnesota and Houston for fourth in the Western Conference.
Brandin Podziemski and Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 apiece for Golden State, which continued to be without Stephen Curry.
Curry missed his 25th game in a row with a balky right knee. The Warriors (36-39) have lost 16 of the 25 games with Curry sidelined.
Denver forward Aaron Gordon was out after experiencing calf soreness when he woke up Sunday morning. Gordon has missed 44 games this season with separate hamstring injuries.
The Nuggets then lost Spencer Jones to hamstring tightness in the first half and Cameron Johnson went to the locker room early in the third quarter holding his left ribs.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Joki thorws the ball in an attempt to make a basket as time runs out in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Johnson returned to the bench with his torso wrapped. Neither played again.
Things became chippy in the second quarter when Denver backup center Zeke Nnaji, pressed into action due to the injuries, got into an altercation with De´Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II after Murray and LJ Cryer exchanged shoves.
Late in the period Payton was hit with a Flagrant 1 for a hard foul on Peyton Watson.
Golden State went on a 19-2 run in the second quarter to lead by 13 and it was 53-46 at halftime, but the Nuggets rallied. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 10 points in third when Denver outscored the Warriors 40-21.
Warriors: Host San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Nuggets: At Utah on Wednesday night.
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Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porziis, left, fields a pass as Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer, right, drives past Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr., left, exchanges words with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porziis, left, drives past Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)