Field Level Media
Jan 17, 2020
Mason Plumlee slammed down a pair of dunks and Will Barton nailed a back-breaking 3-pointer in an eight-point run in overtime as the short-handed Denver Nuggets outlasted the host Golden State Warriors for a come-from-behind, 134-131 victory Thursday night in San Francisco.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back without injured starters Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets completed a two-day sweep despite trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, by 12 points with 8:44 to play in regulation and on two separate occasions in the five-minute extra session.
In an attempt to avoid his team's 10th straight loss, Alec Burks gave Golden State its final lead at 121-120 with a 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining in overtime.
But the Nuggets, who had beaten Charlotte 100-86 at home on Wednesday night, then scored the next eight points, first with Plumlee sandwiching a free throw with his two dunks, and then with Barton burying his 3-pointer for a 128-121 lead with just 1:14 to go.
With the help of a 3-pointer by Burks and two free throws by Draymond Green with 9.9 seconds left, the Warriors clawed back within 132-131, but Malik Beasley made it a three-point game with two foul shots with 8.9 seconds remaining and Damion Lee couldn't connect on a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Barton finished with a season-best 31 points and Beasley a season-best 27 for the Nuggets. Burks led Golden State with 25 off the bench.
The Nuggets forced the extra session with a 40-point fourth quarter that allowed them to rally from the 12-point deficit with 8:44 to play and take as much as a 111-108 lead on two free throws by Nikola Jokic with 1:08 to go.
Burks got the Warriors within one with two free throws of his own, before Golden State rookie Eric Paschall bombed in a 3-pointer with 15.0 seconds left, giving the hosts a 113-111 lead.
A layup by Jokic with 10.8 seconds left produced the regulation-ending tie after Burks misfired on a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final second.
Jokic finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Denver, while Michael Porter Jr. collected 18 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, Plumlee 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and Monte Morris 11 points.
Lee had 21 points for Golden State, while D'Angelo Russell totaled 19 points to go with nine assists. Glenn Robinson III chipped in with 17 points, Paschall 16, and Willie Cauley-Stein and Jordan Poole 10 apiece.
--Field Level Media