Game analysis: Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
How the Warriors Beat the Nuggets
Golden State's shooting from deep turned a tight first half into a convincing road win. The Warriors took the lead for good with an 8–0 run late in the second quarter, then blew the game open by scoring 40 points in the third and carrying a 16-point advantage into the fourth. Yaxel Lendeborg led Golden State with 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Stephen Curry scored 24 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting. The Warriors also controlled the glass despite committing six more turnovers and being outscored in the paint and on the fast break.
The biggest reason
3PT Shooting
GS 50%vsDEN 34%
Also mattered
+13Rebounds
+12Third quarter scoring
+8%Free-throw shooting
Game flow
When the lead changed
GSDEN
GS's biggest lead was 24 points · DEN's was 8 points · 5 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1
GS28
DEN32
DEN won by 4
Q2
GS32
DEN24
GS won by 8
Q3Biggest margin
GS40
DEN28
GS won by 12
Q4
GS34
DEN30
GS won by 4
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Largest deficitQ1 · 3:02
Golden State Warriors trailed by 8 at its deepest point before going on to win.
GS 18–DEN 26
Final lead changeQ2 · 2:34
Golden State Warriors went ahead and did not trail again.
GS 55–DEN 52
Momentum swings
Key runs
5 runs · 7+ unanswered points
Q1 · 9:10–8:14
Golden State Warriors8–0run
GS 5 – DEN 8→GS 13 – DEN 8
Q1 · 7:28–5:32
Denver Nuggets8–0run
GS 13 – DEN 8→GS 13 – DEN 16
Q2 · 11:45–10:38
Golden State Warriors8–0run
GS 28 – DEN 32→GS 36 – DEN 32
Q2 · 8:19–6:50
Denver Nuggets8–0run
GS 41 – DEN 36→GS 41 – DEN 44
Q3 · 8:28–6:44Largest run
Golden State Warriors9–0run
GS 71 – DEN 65→GS 80 – DEN 65
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
Golden State Warriors
GS
Leading scorerYaxel Lendeborg
31PTS12REB6AST0STL1BLK
Impact contributorStephen Curry
24PTS3REB3AST2STL0BLK
Impact contributorBrandin Podziemski
18PTS7REB5AST1STL0BLK
Denver Nuggets
DEN
Leading scorerDeMar DeRozan
21PTS4REB2AST2STL1BLK
Impact contributorNikola Jokic
19PTS7REB11AST1STL3BLK
Impact contributorJamal Murray
19PTS6REB8AST3STL0BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
Three-point shootingWinner edge
Golden State Warriors had a 16 percentage points edge in three-point shooting.
GS 50%DEN 34%
Total reboundsWinner edge
Golden State Warriors had a 13 edge in total rebounds.
GS 45DEN 32
Free-throw shootingWinner edge
Golden State Warriors had a 8 percentage points edge in free-throw shooting.
GS 95%DEN 87%
Setbacks
StealsOpponent edge
Golden State Warriors trailed in steals by 8.
GS 5DEN 13
BlocksOpponent edge
Golden State Warriors trailed in blocks by 4.
GS 2DEN 6
TurnoversOpponent edge
Golden State Warriors committed 6 more turnovers than Denver Nuggets.
GS 18DEN 12
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
6 signals
Three-point shooting
Golden State created its clearest efficiency advantage from beyond the arc against a Denver team that otherwise shot 50% from the field.
GS50%
DEN34%
Rebounding
The Warriors held a substantial advantage on the glass, including a 10-rebound edge on the defensive boards.
GS45
DEN32
Third quarter
Golden State turned a four-point halftime lead into a 16-point advantage during the period that created the game's decisive separation.
GS40
DEN28
Yaxel Lendeborg
31 PTS, 12 REB, 6 AST
Lendeborg supplied Golden State's highest scoring total while also contributing double-digit rebounds and six assists.
Stephen Curry
24 PTS, 8-8 FG, 3-3 3PT, 5-5 FT
Curry added 24 points without a missed field goal or free throw.
Editorial turning point
Golden State's 8-0 run from 4:10 to 2:34 in the second quarter
The Warriors erased a five-point deficit, took a three-point lead and never trailed again.
This game’s Winning DNA
How Golden State Warriors got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
Golden State Warriors
3PT Shooting
45%
Rebounding
25%
Superstar Performance
20%
Playmaking
10%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.
Team Comparison
Golden State Warriors134 PTSVSBall ArenaDenver Nuggets114 PTS
46-85
FG
42-84
22-44
3PT
10-29
20-21
FT
20-23
45
REB
32
31
AST
31
5
STL
13
2
BLK
6
18
TO
12
The Debate
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