BRANDIN Podziemski delivered a clutch performance down the stretch as Golden State Warriors pulled away for a 128-117 victory over Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Podziemski scored 12 of his 18 points in the final five minutes, helping Golden State snap a two-game losing streak. He also contributed across the board with 15 rebounds and nine assists in an all-around effort.
Al Horford led Golden State with 22 points, knocking down six shots from beyond the arc,bMoses Moody chipped in 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while De’Anthony Melton provided 20 points.
Despite coming off a dominant win in their previous outing, a 54-point beatdown of Portland Trail Blazersthe Nuggets struggled to establish control early and trailed throughout the first half.
The Nuggets mounted a comeback attempt after the break, but Golden State responded with a decisive 19-8 run late in the fourth quarter behind Podziemski to seal the outcome.
Denver was powered by Nikola Jokic, who recorded 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season. Jamal Murray added 21 points, while Christian Braun and Bruce Brown finished with 18 and 12 points, respectively.
In Oklahoma City, Isaiah Joe scored 22 points and Cason Wallace added a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists to help the short-handed Thunder beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-113.
Chet Holmgren had 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City (44-14), which made 21 of 41 3-point attempts (51.2%), including six by Joe, and converted 17 turnovers into 31 points.
Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Sam Merrill each had 20 points for Cleveland (36-22), which lost for the first time in eight games. The Cavaliers fell behind early but couldn’t complete the comeback against the Thunder.
In other results, Toronto Raptors mauled short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, 122-94; while Atlanta Hawks turned things around to score a 115-104 victory over the slumping Brooklyn Nets./PN
