NBA scores 2016: Nuggets hand Warriors their third loss of the season

The Nuggets’ surprise win over Golden State, a breakout night for Salah Mejri and the rest of the NBA action from Wednesday.

by Satchel Price

Jan 14, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

You'll never get a win against the Golden State Warriors without earning it. The Denver Nuggets beat the Warriors, 112-110, on Wednesday night, but not before fighting off a feverish comeback that nearly came to victorious fruition. In the end, Denver had just enough in the tank to hand Golden State its third loss of the season.

Even without Draymond Green, who was taking an off night for rest, the Warriors made things difficult on the home team. One of the most remarkable traits about Golden State is its ability to buckle down in crunch time and put pressure on teams less equipped to handle it. The absence of Green didn't stop the team from making one of those last-minute runs Wednesday, but it was too little too late after an underwhelming start.

The Nuggets led by seven points after the first quarter and hung onto a one-point advantage at halftime. The Warriors led briefly in the third quarter, only to see Denver respond by closing out the period with a 19-5 run to take an 83-73 lead. From there, Nikola Jokic anchored an impressive defensive effort that kept the Warriors scoreless for a nearly four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter. Never was the absence of Green more apparent.

By the one-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets were still leading by seven. For most teams, that’s the kind of deficit that’s practically impossible to overcome in 60 seconds. For the Warriors, it’s a chance to remind the world how much better they are at shooting than everyone else.

First came a Harrison Barnes layup with 58 seconds remaining that cut the score to 109-104. Then Jameer Nelson stepped out of bounds on Denver's next possession, handing the ball back to the Warriors. Curry proceeded to hit this shot at the 37-second mark:

Suddenly we had a game. And then, even after a disastrous Curry turnover blew the team's first attempt at a game-winner, an astonishing three by Klay Thompson with three seconds left gave the team a chance at redemption. The subsequent buzzer-beater by Thompson wasn't meant to be, but the fact that the Warriors even got this close without Green was amazing to watch.

You can beat the Warriors, at least when they’re shorthanded. They’ll still make it a grind, though.

2 other things we learned

East contenders keep stumbling

Another day, another series of missteps for the Eastern Conference's mid-tier teams. On Wednesday, it was the Hawks and Knicks who each experienced terrible losses after entering the night on two-game winning streaks. New York lost to the hapless Nets, 110-104, to give Brooklyn its first victory since cleaning house over the weekend. Atlanta got down 17-2 early to the struggling Hornets before eventually losing by 23. In both cases, you're talking about inexcusable performances that are becoming commonplace for otherwise good teams.

The middle of the East is almost remarkable in its mediocrity. Every team in the standings from No. 3 Chicago to No. 11 Washington has a record of 4-6, 5-5 or 6-4 over its past 10 games. There's the Cavaliers winning games at the top, the 76ers losing games at the bottom and a whole bunch of teams between that are unsure of what they want to be. Nobody wants to emerge as the top threat to Cleveland -- maybe it's Toronto? -- and right now it seems like we're just waiting for someone, anyone to put together a run.

The Clippers can keep winning without DeAndre

For the first time since 2011, the Clippers took the court without their starting center. DeAndre Jordan's league-leading streak of 360 consecutive games played was snapped due to a case of pneumonia, so LA had to start Cole Aldrich at center in a matchup against the Heat.

How did the Clips respond to their first game sans Jordan in nearly five years? By cruising to a 104-90 win over Miami behind a steady 19-point, seven-rebound effort from Aldrich. A massive 23-7 turnover advantage pretty much handed the game to LA, which managed to avoid the mistake-laden effort put up by Miami. Dwyane Wade had more turnovers (seven) than made field goals (six) in the loss.

Play of the night

Are you familiar with Salah Mejri? You should be after the 7'2 Mavericks big man put on a show in garbage time against OKC on Wednesday night. Mejri scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including this magnificent dunk on three-time All-NBA first team member Serge Ibaka. Here's more on the first Tunisian player in NBA history.