Nikola Jokic poured in 35 points and 13 rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 108-105 on Wednesday night in the NBA. Elsewhere, Ronnie Walker came off the bench to score 21 points and Day'Ron Sharpe added 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 100-93 on Wednesday night, sending Los Angeles to its fourth road loss.
Jokic Led The Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points, Aaron Gordon finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 10 for Denver, which swept a four-game home series.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points, Klay Thompson had 15, Andrew Wiggins scored 11 and Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody added 10 each for Golden State, which has lost two of its last three games.
The Warriors played without Draymond Green and Gary Payton II. Denver point guard Jamal Murray missed his second straight game with a right hamstring strain.
Golden State trailed 107-102 in the final minute, but Curry's three-pointer with 18 seconds left brought it within two points. Jokic missed two free throws with 15 seconds to play, but Curry's layup with five seconds left missed, forcing the Warriors to foul.
Jackson split a pair of free throws, giving Golden State a chance, but Thompson's three-point attempt at the buzzer slipped through his hands.
Chris Paul opened the fourth period with a three-pointer to give the Warriors an 81-76 lead, but Porter hit a jumper at the end of the possession and Jackson made a layup to cut the deficit to one.
Golden State's Trayce Jackson-Davis split a pair of free throws, Porter hit a triple, Kuminga nailed the ball and Jackson and Curry traded triples to keep the visitors ahead by one.
Caldwell-Pope converted a three-point play to put Denver in front 92-87 with 8:16 to play. Golden State scored the next six points to regain the lead.
Justin Holiday hit a three-pointer to put the Nuggets in front 95-93, and the game was even until Jackson's layup gave Denver a 103-98 lead with 2:23 remaining.
The Nuggets led by six at halftime and quickly extended it to 10 early in the third quarter.
Golden State went on a 10-4 run to get within 63-59, and the Warriors stayed close throughout the period. Jackson-Davis' two free throws gave the Warriors a 78-76 lead at the end of the third quarter, but they couldn't hold it through the final quarter of the game.
BIG TIME DUB pic.twitter.com/M5ycByAIZp
- Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 9, 2023
The Clippers Were Held Back By Brooklyn
Cam Thomas scored 14 first-half points for the Nets before leaving the game early in the third period with a sprained left ankle after being knocked down by PJ Tucker while driving to the hoop.
Dorian Finney-Smith added 12 points for Brooklyn, which ended a two-game losing streak. With Thomas out, Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said he relied more on Walker, designing plays for him during timeouts and setting him up on blocks toward the end of the game.
It paid off. Walker made 5 of 11 from the field, including 3 of 5 from long distance, for 13 points in the final two quarters. Paul George scored 24 points and Kawhi Leonard 17 for the revamped Clippers, who lost their third straight game.
Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 10 rebounds and James Harden added 12 points and eight rebounds in his second game with Los Angeles since being acquired from Philadelphia on Oct. 30.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue noted that his All-Star quartet, which includes George, Leonard, Harden and Russell Westbrook, looked too passive for the second straight night.
Los Angeles shot 36 of 91 from the field, 8 of 36 from the 3-point line and had 15 turnovers. George said the team didn't expect the four stars to click right away.
Sharpe gave the Nets a needed boost off the bench, scoring nine points in the fourth period. He hit an off-balanced shot off the glass as Zubac attempted a block, putting the Nets up 98-79 with 6:42 remaining.
Leonard cut the deficit to 94-90 with 1:17 to play, but Spencer Dinwiddie answered with a triple.
Los Angeles called a timeout, but George lost the ball on the next possession. Westbrook then had a shot blocked and Harden missed a three-point attempt. It was Royce O'Neal who then hit a three-pointer to seal the win for the Nets.
