Nuggets Vs Warriors: nuggets vs warriors — Podziemski leads shorthanded Warriors
The Golden State Warriors pulled off one of their most surprising wins of the year in the nuggets vs warriors matchup, beating the Denver Nuggets 128-117 on Feb 22, 2026. Brandin Podziemski scored 12 late points as the Warriors prevailed despite Nikola Jokić recording a triple-double.
Nuggets Vs Warriors: Game Snapshot
Final score: Warriors 128, Nuggets 117. The game was played after a turbulent build-up for Golden State: the Warriors were playing their seventh straight game without Steph Curry, and faced additional absences and illnesses before tip-off.
Pre-game setbacks and absences
A few hours before the game began, the Warriors announced that recent trade acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis, who was set to play his second game with the team, was sick and would not be able to make it to the arena. Head coach Steve Kerr made it sound like it’s a very serious illness for Porziņģis and revealed that the stretch big may not join the Warriors on their upcoming two-city road trip. Then, just minutes before the game began, Golden State announced that Draymond Green was dealing with a lower back injury and wouldn’t play. The Dubs — without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Jimmy Butler III — took on a 36-21 Denver Nuggets squad that was playing without Aaron Gordon but was otherwise healthy.
Shorthanded starting five shines
Golden State’s starting five — Pat Spencer, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and Al Horford — came out firing. The unit used incredible ball movement and some Curry-esque shooting from deep. If you blinked, you missed Horford draining a pair of triples as the Warriors immediately took an 11-2 lead. Horford finished the opening quarter with 11 electric points and Moody had scored eight.
Jokić assisted on every early basket
While the Warriors’ offense was clicking, so too was the consensus best player in the world, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who was picking apart Golden State’s defense. At the mandatory timeout just over five minutes in, the Nuggets had made six field goals and Jokić had assisted on all six of them. Christian Braun was feasting on the Dubs with cuts galore, and Gui Santos did a little bit of everything to keep Golden State afloat. With Santos and rookie Will Richard leading the way late in the quarter, the Warriors led 39-27 after the opening frame, having shot a blistering 9-for-19 from three-point range.
Second quarter surge and halftime
Denver tightened their defense to open the second quarter and first-time All-Star Jamal Murray went to work chipping away at the lead. The Warriors, however, mounted a complete team effort in the second: all nine healthy players contributed across the board with deflections, loose balls gathered, rebounds gobbled up, and plenty more threes. Golden State led 76-67 at halftime, having made a stunning 15 threes and setting their season record for most points in the first half despite Curry being sidelined.
Halftime and the third quarter situation
Unfortunately, the halftime hangout sapped Golden State’s shooting ability. When they returned fr unclear in the provided context.
Late in the game Brandin Podziemski scored 12 points to help close out the victory, and the Warriors completed the upset over a team viewed as significantly better on paper. Nikola Jokić still posted a triple-double in the loss.
Warriors 128, Nuggets 117 — Feb 22, 2026. The full sequence of pregame illness and injury, the shorthanded starting five’s early surge, Jokić’s early playmaking, the second-quarter team effort and 15 made threes at halftime, Podziemski’s late scoring and Jokić’s triple-double are all part of the game’s record.
