Jokic's late cross-court heave seals win over Dubs

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordan Poole enactment the Golden State Warriors down conscionable 1 constituent with 14 seconds remaining aft stealing the shot disconnected a lazy Denver Nuggets walk and laying it backmost in.

But conscionable a divided 2nd later, arsenic the Warriors were inactive getting backmost successful transition, Nikola Jokic inbounded the shot with a cross-court heave -- thing Jokic admitted was "a risk" aft the game.

It was 1 helium was much than consenting to instrumentality aft Bones Hyland turned the shot over, starring to Poole's bucket, and Jokic saw thing but a swarm of Warriors jerseys.

"My guys had to beryllium open," Jokic said.

So helium chucked the shot 85 feet to find a wide-opened Bruce Brown, who implicit the play with a dunk. That -- and a brace of escaped throws a fewer seconds aboriginal -- sealed the Nuggets' 128-123 triumph connected Friday night.

Draymond Green said the Warriors weren't precisely caught sleeping connected Jokic's pass, but determination was a lapse successful communication. Usually, the Warriors privation their halfway backmost underneath the different basket, but successful this script the halfway was Green, and helium was trapping.

"It's an unfamiliar presumption for our guards. Guards don't support the basket," Green said. "That's thing I could person communicated. I should person communicated that we got to marque definite we person a antheral back, and that's thing we tin larn from."

Jokic finished the crippled with 26 points connected 7-of-13 shooting, 12 rebounds and 10 assists -- his 77th vocation triple-double. Jokic present has the second-most triple-doubles by a halfway successful NBA past down conscionable Wilt Chamberlain (78).

Jokic scored oregon assisted connected 50 Denver points, but it was his passing that stood retired supra his different stats.

"Honestly, we person 8 years unneurotic present and [nothing surprises me]," Nuggets manager Michael Malone said. "So galore large games, truthful galore moments erstwhile he's made the large play, the close play and a game-changing benignant of play ... his IQ is disconnected the charts. He's retired determination playing chess and a batch of different guys are playing checkers."

Against the Warriors, the Nuggets scored 24 points disconnected Jokic's passes connected 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. Three of his 10 assists came successful modulation and six of them led to unfastened looks.

Five antithetic teammates scored disconnected his passes, with Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Bruce Brown benefiting the most.

Caldwell-Pope changeable 3-of-5 disconnected Jokic's passes, portion Brown went a cleanable 4-of-4 including the game-winning dunk.

Before the game, Malone spoke connected the request for his squad to physique chemistry arsenic the Nuggets welcomed 8 caller players, including Caldwell-Pope and Brown, and reintegrated Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

With that successful mind, Malone has been challenging Jokic to instrumentality his enactment to the adjacent level by not conscionable playing by example, but by being vocal and teaching.

Three of 4 times connected Friday, Malone saw Jokic drawback the whiteboard during timeouts and attack his caller and younger teammates, explaining wherever helium wants them connected plays.

"If you inquire Bruce and Kenny Pope, from afar they astir apt admired Jokic's passing from playing against him. But it's antithetic watching than present you're with him," Malone said. "He makes the crippled truthful easy, but you person to beryllium ready."

The Nuggets headed into halftime having scored 70 points and up 18 connected Golden State, but a patented Warriors third-quarter unreserved to brace with a beardown 4th enactment them wrong 8 with astir 5 minutes to go.

Stephen Curry finished with 34 points connected 10-of-22 shooting, portion Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and 8 rebounds and Draymond Green had 13 points and 9 assists.

But Denver outscored the Warriors 9-4 successful clutch clip to seal their victory.

"Our 2nd 4th was 1 of our champion quarters successful a agelong clip against a prime opponent," Malone said. "But down the stretch, determination are truthful galore things we request to cleanable up ... But it's a hellhole of a win. We tin savor it for astir 2 and a fractional hours connected the plane, and past time nighttime we person our location opener."