Yaxel Lendeborg scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors beat Nuggets 134-114 on Monday at Ball Arena, breaking open a tight game with a 40-point third quarter. Stephen Curry added 24 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting night, and Golden State improved to 1-3 on the young season.
Denver led by as many as eight points in the first half and trailed just 47-50 late in the second quarter before the Warriors seized control. Golden State outscored the Nuggets 72-54 over the final two quarters, turning a tight contest into a rout. DeMar DeRozan led Denver with 21 points, but the Nuggets fell to 1-2.
Key Moments: How The Warriors Pulled Away
The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Denver using an early 18-8 run keyed by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to take a 26-18 lead before Golden State closed the frame on a 10-6 run to trail just 32-28 after one. Denver stretched its lead to 50-47 in the second quarter behind Bryce Hopkins’ three-pointer, but Golden State’s defense and shooting tightened from there.
The turning point came in the third quarter, when the Warriors outscored the Nuggets 40-28 to flip a narrow deficit into a double-digit cushion. Golden State shot 54% from the field for the game and connected on 22 of 44 three-point attempts, a 50% clip that overwhelmed a Denver defense that surrendered 42 points in the paint. The Warriors built their largest lead of the night at 24 points, while Denver’s biggest advantage topped out at eight.
Top Performers
Lendeborg’s final line of 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists paced Golden State, going 9 of 19 from the field and a perfect 12 of 13 from the free-throw line. Brandin Podziemski contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, while Curry’s 24 points came on flawless shooting across the field, three-point and free-throw lines. Draymond Green did not shoot much but ran the offense with seven assists and five rebounds.
For Denver, DeRozan’s 21 points led all scorers for the Nuggets, while Jokic finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks. Jamal Murray added 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but Denver shot just 34% from three-point range on 29 attempts and committed 12 total turnovers that led to 21 Golden State points.
What It Means
The win moves Golden State to 1-3 and 2.5 games behind the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers, who stand 3-0. The Warriors also hold a 1-0 lead in the season series against Denver, per the official game data. The Nuggets drop to 1-2 and sit 2.5 games back of Oklahoma City atop the Northwest Division, which improved to 4-0.
Golden State’s shooting numbers stood out across the board: a 54% clip from the field paired with 95% free-throw shooting (20 of 21) made it difficult for Denver to find any defensive answers once the Warriors found their rhythm in the third quarter.
What’s Next
Golden State and Denver have no scheduled rematch confirmed in the available data beyond the season series Golden State now leads 1-0. Fans looking for more on the Warriors’ season can check the preview coverage of Monday’s matchup, along with background on Lendeborg’s early-season performances. Golden State’s recent stretch also included a loss detailed in the Suns-Warriors recap, while the Warriors continue to monitor roster questions covered in the Kristaps Porziņģis injury update.
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