SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry is capable of a lot of things.
Leading a rally, knocking down the most impossible half-court shots, and even riling up a crowd of more than 18,000 Warriors fans during a thrilling 137-131 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Chase Center.
That’s exactly what he did late in the fourth quarter after Golden State trailed Denver by as many as 14 points. The Warriors were down by four with two minutes remaining. Curry was fouled at the 3-point line. Before he set up at the charity stripe, he turned to the quiet Chase Center crowd and encouraged them to get on their feet and make some noise.
They listened. He made all three free throws. Seconds later, he knocked down a 26-foot 3-pointer to tie the game. The Chase Center crowd got even louder as Curry passionately celebrated the trey after Denver called a timeout.
The Nuggets had a chance to end it in regulation, but a strong defensive performance from the Warriors sent the game to overtime. But a pissed-off Curry on a heater can’t be cooled down.
Golden State outscored Denver 17-11 in overtime, leading the team to a wild victory.
Curry finished with 42 points, capped by scoring 22 combined in the fourth quarter and overtime frames.
Jimmy Butler added 21. Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga contributed for a combined 27.
Al Horford added 13 points off the bench in his first home game as a Warrior.
It was a rollercoaster game, but the Dubs managed to pull out an exhilarating win to begin the 2025-26 campaign with a flawless 2-0 record. Here are the takeaways from the win:
A teeter-totter game
The Warriors got off to a promising start.
First, a Curry 3-pointer to open the scoring for Golden State’s home opener. It was only right, of course.
Then everyone had a bite of the cake, with Green, Kuminga and Podziemski all taking turns scoring the next eight points for the Warriors.
A 10-0 start had Chase Center sounding like Roaracle within the opening minutes of the contest. But the Nuggets responded with their own 10-0 run to even the score, plus more.
Denver outscored Golden State in the first and second quarters, and the Warriors never led again until late in the third quarter.
But it ain’t over until it’s over, right?
The Nuggets were back on top of the teeter-totter late in the fourth quarter, but Curry forcefully jumped on the Warriors’ side to even it out and force overtime.
The back and forth is tiring, but a victory always is worth it.
Bay Area kid goes off
Aaron Gordon grew up in San Jose, about 47 miles south of the Warriors’ Chase Center.
Per usual, he received some scattered cheers during pregame warmups and was the only Nuggets player not to receive deafening boos during starting lineup introductions.
He has been away from home for over a decade now, but the Bay always will be home for him. And that was evident Thursday night.
Gordon felt right at home from beyond the arc, shooting a perfect 7 of 7 from deep in the first half alone. He was up to 25 points in 15 minutes.
After the first two quarters, he made 3-pointers, matching the entire Golden State team.
The Warriors typically have their hands full with Jokic and Murray, but all championship-caliber teams have that third option. Right now, that’s Gordon.
Golden State adjusted late in the second quarter, putting Butler on Gordon in hopes of cooling down his shot.
Gordon finished with a whopping 50 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in 39 minutes. Even his monster performance couldn’t outman the beast that is a ticked-off Curry.
Old school hoops
The Warriors’ identity has shifted since acquiring Jimmy Butler last season. The team still revolves around Steph Curry, of course, and his one-of-a-kind sharpshooting. But Butler gives Golden State the option not to solely rely on the long shot, as it was needed Thursday night.
Golden State shot just 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range in the first quarter, and then improved slightly to 30.4 percent by the half. At that point, they knew their 3-ball wasn’t going to win them this game.
Queue in Butler.
One of the best in the midrange, Butler led the charge of shifting the game within the 3-point line.
Curry and Co. followed suit, as the 3-point king’s shot from deep wasn’t falling until late in the game. Warriors sharpshooter Buddy Hield was 1 of 7 from downtown.
Golden State was outshot from beyond the arc, but its ability to outscore Denver in the paint for the majority of the game kept them alive.
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