Aaron Gordon scored 38 points to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Golden State Warriors, 114-105, on Monday, snapping the Warriors' seven-game winning streak despite missing Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Gordon’s stellar performance sparked Denver to a dominant win as they seized control early at San Francisco's Chase Center and never looked back.
Though the Warriors made a late push, cutting the Nuggets' fourth-quarter lead from 15 to just three, Denver held firm, finishing strong to secure the well-earned victory.
Gordon finished with 38 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
The Warriors were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Jimmy Butler led Golden State's scoring with 23 points.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr lambasted his side's "awful" performance.
"We played poorly out of the gate and never found rhythm, and they played great," Kerr said. "The right team won. We didn’t deserve that. We were awful."
Denver improved to 44-25, remaining in third place in the West. The Warriors dropped to 39-29 and are sixth in the standings.
The Los Angeles Lakers are just behind Denver in fourth place in the West after a 125-109 blowout of the San Antonio Spurs.
With LeBron James still injured, Austin Reaves led the Lakers' scoring with 30 points, while Luka Doncic had 21 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists.
Elsewhere, the in-form Houston Rockets staged an incredible second-half comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, overturning a 25-point third-quarter deficit to win 144-137 in an overtime thriller.
The struggling Sixers – who received another gloomy injury update with news that Paul George would miss the remainder of the regular season – stunned Houston after outscoring the hosts 44-28 in the first quarter.
After leading 78-57 at halftime, the Sixers stretched their advantage to 25 points early in the third quarter.
But Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks led a dramatic turnaround as the Rockets suddenly found their shooting range, outscoring the Sixers 45-24 in the third quarter.
The Rockets tied the score at 131-131 with 3.9 seconds remaining, then dominated overtime to secure their seventh straight win. They remain second in the Western Conference at 44-25, 12.5 games behind leaders Oklahoma City.
Quentin Grimes led Philadelphia with 46 points, including eight three-pointers, while Green and Jabari Smith Jr. topped Houston's scoring with 30 points each.
In Minnesota, Obi Toppin finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 132-130 win over the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves' scoring with 38 points.
In New York, 28 points from Mikal Bridges powered the Knicks to a 116-95 defeat of the visiting Miami Heat.
The Knicks, who improved to 43-24 to remain third in the Eastern Conference, effectively decided the contest after blitzing Miami 41-15 in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 27 points early in the fourth before cruising to victory.
Miami fell to 29-39 and are ninth in the East.
The Detroit Pistons continued their pursuit of the Knicks in the East with a 127-81 thrashing of the New Orleans Pelicans in the Big Easy.
Detroit improved to 38-31, staying in sixth place in the East.
The Pelicans are now 18-51, one spot off the bottom of the Western Conference, ahead of Utah, who slumped to their 54th defeat of the season in a 111-97 loss to Chicago.
