Wednesday night’s scheduled early-season matchup and championship clash of wills came up to expectations.

In the end, the Nuggets emerged victorious, defeating the Golden State Warriors 108-105 at the boisterous Ball Arena to maintain their home-court winning record and climb to an NBA-best 8-1.

A thrilling fourth quarter saw seven lead changes in a contest that seemed like it belonged in the playoffs.

Stephen Curry, the best player for Golden State, pulled out all the stops to almost upset the Nuggets. With 18.1 seconds remaining, Curry made a 34-foot running 3-pointer to cut the lead to 107-105 for the Warriors.

Nevertheless, up until Nikola Jokic missed two free throws on the opposite end, Denver appeared to be in control. However, Curry was stymied by Denver’s defense, which made him miss an uncomfortable layup. Denver’s victory was sealed by Reggie Jackson, who made one of his two foul shots.

Jokic was still the strongest player on the court despite missing both of the crucial free throws with great difficulty. His final stats were 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 35 points. Out of 25, he made 14 shots.

The first meeting between the most recent NBA champions this season took place on Wednesday. The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games to win the 2022 championship, while the Nuggets defeated the Heat in six games to win the 2023 championship.

With 8:16 remaining in the fourth quarter, a 30-second sequence gave the Nuggets the momentum they needed to keep up with the energizing Warriors, who appeared to be about to take control of the game.

Curry appeared to be cruising toward a simple finger-roll layup, but Aaron Gordon suddenly lunged forward to block the shot. Curry did not receive the goalie call he was hoping for.

Conversely, Trayce Jackson-Davis fouled Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and received a goaltending call on his driving layup. Denver won the sequence, 92–87. Curry was not happy with how things had turned out.

Denver’s performance in the third quarter, when it was outscored 31-23 and the Warriors took a 78-76 lead, can best be described as disorganized. Collin Gillespie was asked to lead the offensive while Jackson, who had four fouls, was sitting on the sidelines. Though things didn’t go as planned, Jokic’s 14-point quarter helped to keep the score close.With a put-back slam late in the first quarter, Michael Porter Jr., who finished with 17 points, gave the Nuggets a 23-13 lead. Porter Jr. started the game on a mission. Using 4 of 6 shots in the quarter, including two 3-pointers, he scored 10 points.

The Nuggets are keen to make Porter the focal point of the offense with guard and club captain Jamal Murray sidelined for some time due to a hamstring issue. He was coming off a big performance in New Orleans, where he finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in just 28 minutes of play.

Curry did not score in the first quarter despite playing for more than nine minutes and taking just two shots. It wasn’t until Curry drained a 3-pointer with 6:20 remaining in the second quarter to knot the score at 36-all that he scored his first points.

Naturally, though, Curry led the Warriors in the second half and finished with 23 points, although shooting only 35.3% (6 of 17), partly due to Caldwell-Pope’s relentless defense.