In what nearly ended up as a Denver Nuggets season opener road win vs. the Golden State Warriors, wound up turning in the other direction in the final minutes of the fourth quarter on a Steph Curry game-tying three with less than 30 seconds to go, sending the game to overtime, which spiraled into an eventual 131-137 loss for Denver.
On Nikola Jokic’s part, he started his year off against Golden State with a typical triple double; 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, showing shades of his MVP self as you’d expect. It’d be the other former MVP in Curry, though, who stole the show with his 42-point explosion–– 21 of those coming during fourth quarter and overtime.
Far from the ideal outcome to kick things off for one of 82 for Denver, but even Jokic had to give credit where it was due for Curry’s standout night to will the Warriors to a 2-0 start after the game.
“He doesn’t need a lot. He just needs one three to see go in,” Jokic said pot-game. “He did an amazing job tonight. He hit a big three and then a deep three to tie the game. The whole fourth quarter and overtime he was really good.”
Oct 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
Jokic, while chipping in for his usual triple-double efforts, didn’t wind up shooting the ball particularly well––posting a 2/13 clip from three-point range to come out at 15.3%; a drastic shift from what the rest of the Nuggets’ roster shot as a whole at 51.8%.
Coming off a season in which Jokic shot his best career percentage from three, such a performance is a bit irregular for the three-time MVP. But instead of sounding any alarms, Jokic was fine with how his shot selection panned out. It just wasn’t his night.
“I think I need to mix it up. I’m happy with the three-pointer. I think I was open and most of them seemed like they were going in, but they didn’t so, I’m happy with the shots… I think I was happy with my shot decision making. The ball didn’t go in. Sometimes it’s like that.”
Dec 23, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Aaron Gordon (32) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Thankfully, Aaron Gordon would be the one to show out in the midst of Jokic’s troubles from deep, posting a career-high 50 points on the night, cashing in 10 of his total 11 threes shot, albeit in a losing turnout.
Jokic, of course, made sure to give Gordon his flowers afterwards for his career-best night with one clear takeaway: that type of player is an easy guy to play with.
“I mean when someone scores 10 threes in a game I think it’s easy to play with that guy,” Jokic said. “So whoever scores 10 threes in a game, it’s easy to play with that person.”
While not the perfect start for Jokic or the Nuggets, it’s a marathon of a season that’s just getting underway. They’ll have a perfect opportunity to bounce back after a day’s rest in their home opener on Saturday vs. the Phoenix Suns.
