The Serbian giant Nikola Jokic achieved "Triple Double" and led the Denver Nuggets to defeat the defending champion Golden State Warriors 128-123 at his home, Friday, in the NBA.
Jokic scored 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists (ten or more in three statistical categories).
Making up for a midweek loss against the Utah Jazz, Jokic, the MVP of the last two years, led Denver to a deserved victory at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Seven Denver players finished the game with 10 points or more.
On the other hand, Stephen Curry was the best scorer for the loser with 34 points, but the Warriors failed to achieve an exhibition return in the second half, after trailing by 18 points at the break.
Denver scored 70 points in the first half, including 40 in the first quarter (40-34), but Golden State managed to reduce the difference to a point of 123-124 14 seconds before the end of time, after stealing a ball and basket close to Jordan Bull.
But a beautiful long pass from Jokic reached Bruce Brown, who scored from an ace, giving the visitors a three-point advantage at the crucial moments.
"We expected them to be this fierce," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "They played harder than us. It s hard to play that open way against a good team.