Nuggets Vs Warriors: nuggets vs warriors recap — Warriors 128-117, Podziemski leads shorthanded win
In the nuggets vs warriors matchup on Feb 22, 2026, the Golden State Warriors stunned the Denver Nuggets 128-117. Brandin Podziemski scored 12 late in the game, and Nikola Jokić recorded a triple-double in a contest the Warriors won despite significant recent absences.
Nuggets Vs Warriors game recap
The Warriors pulled off one of their most surprising wins of the year, shocking the 36-21 Nuggets by a final of 128-117. The victory felt improbable: the Nuggets were described as a significantly better team, while Golden State was playing its seventh straight game without Steph Curry.
Porziņģis and Green out
A few hours before tipoff the Warriors announced Kristaps Porziņģis, who had been 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 was a very serious illness and revealed that the stretch big may not join the Warriors on their upcoming two-city road trip. Minutes before the game began, the team also announced that Draymond Green was dealing with a lower back injury and would not play. Jimmy Butler III was also absent for Golden State.
Warriors depth and starters
With Curry, Green, Porziņģis and Butler out, the Warriors started Pat Spencer, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Al Horford. That group came out firing, showing incisive ball movement and some Curry-esque shooting from deep. Horford drained a pair of triples early as Golden State jumped to an 11-2 lead.
Jokić assists and Nuggets response
Denver’s Nikola Jokić was busy slicing through the Warriors’ defense. At the mandatory timeout just over five minutes in, the Nuggets had made six field goals and Jokić had assisted on all six. Christian Braun attacked with cuts, and the Nuggets began to claw back as the first quarter progressed.
First half shooting barrage
Golden State finished the opening frame ahead 39-27 after shooting a blistering 9-for-19 from three-point range. Horford had 11 electric points in the quarter and Moses Moody had eight. A late flurry led by Gui Santos and rookie Will Richard capped the period. Denver tightened its defense to open the second quarter and first-time All-Star Jamal Murray went to work, chipping away at the lead, but the Warriors responded with a complete team effort.
All nine healthy Warriors contributed in the second quarter with deflections, loose balls, rebounds and more threes. Golden State led 76-67 at halftime after making a stunning 15 threes in the first half. Against the odds and with Curry sidelined, the Warriors set their season record for most points in the first half.
Podziemski scores 12 late
Brandin Podziemski’s late scoring surge proved decisive: he scored 12 late as the Warriors closed out the game and secured the 128-117 win. Despite Jokić’s triple-double, Denver could not overcome Golden State’s balanced attack and late push.
The noon-to-late sequence in the second half is incomplete in the available material; the article’s account notes that the halftime hangout sapped Golden State’s shooting ability and then ends mid-sentence. What happened when the teams returned for the second half is unclear in the provided context.
The final lines of the available account confirm the score, the late impact from Podziemski, and Jokić’s triple-double in the 128-117 Warriors victory on Feb 22, 2026.
