WHAT HAPPENED: Getting stops was a struggle for both sides early, and the Warriors led 35-34 after the opening quarter. Golden State stretched the lead to 11 in the second, but a dominant close from Nikola Jokic, who posted 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the first half, helped Denver to a 70-69 lead at halftime.

The Nuggets stretched the lead to 16 late in the third and led by 14 to start the fourth. Golden State made a late surge, but never really threatened in the final quarter.

Murray scored 17 of his 33 points in the third. And Jokic completed his 22-point, 14-rebound, 16-assist triple-double in the quarter.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: With Aaron Gordon out and Jamal Murray dealing with foul trouble in the first half, Kentavious Caldwell-pope and Vlatko Cancar stepped up. Caldwell-pope finished with 18 points, while Cancar added 17.

The Warriors, playing the second night of a back-toback, fielded a mostly full roster.

Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic were named Western Conference Coach and Player of the Month respectively.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Warriors made 11 of their first 15 3-pointers to create an early advantage and finished 19 of 38 from deep.

On top of that, neither Aaron Gordon, who missed the game with an ankle sprain, nor Jamal Murray were named All-star reserves a couple of hours before tipoff.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: A couple of crafty finishes helped the Nuggets extend the lead to double digits.

First, Jamal Murray drove to the right side of the hoop and snuck a layup in for his 26th and 27th points of the night. Christian Braun then grabbed a defensive rebound and drove the lane. It looked like he was going up for a right-handed layup, but he switched to his left and finished, putting Denver up 16 late in the third.

UP NEXT: Denver concludes a three-game homestand Saturday against Atlanta.