SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 36 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 118-104 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.
Brandin Podziemski added 26 and Jimmy Butler III had 19 for the Warriors. They pulled within a half-game of the Nuggets, who began play third in the Western Conference.
The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the third quarter and maintained it the rest of the way. A 3-pointer by Curry midway through the quarter gave Golden State a 15-point lead, and he also completed a three-point play with under three minutes to play to keep the lead at 15.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 33 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, after finishing with 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the last game he played.
Curry had 19 points at halftime as Golden State led 66-60.
The Nuggets were without Jamal Murray (hamstring), but the rest of the starters returned after sitting out Wednesday night’s loss to the Spurs.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Without Murray, the Nuggets have lost three straight and fell to the Warriors for the first time in nine games in a potential first-round playoff preview.
Warriors: The Warriors, after beating the Lakers on Thursday, returned home following a 4-2 road trip with a huge win.
Key moment
The Warriors improved to 21-5 since trading for Butler, who opened the fourth with a tough 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, then knocked down two free throws following a Nuggets turnover to give the Warriors a 17-point lead.
Key stat
Curry has averaged 41.7 points over his last three games, after putting up 37 and 52 points in his prior two games.
Up next
Both teams play on Sunday, with the Warriors hosting the Rockets and the Nuggets hosting the Pacers.
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