Golden State Warriors 128, Denver Nuggets 117 | Chase Center, San Francisco | February 22, 2026
The full breakdown of Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors match player stats from Sunday tells a story that started wild, got interesting in the middle, and then fell apart at the end. Nikola Jokic went for 35 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists in one of the most dominant triple-doubles you will see from a losing team this season. Meanwhile, the Warriors got a vintage collective performance with Al Horford shooting 85.7% from three, Brandin Podziemski posting a 18-point, 15-rebound double-double, and Moses Moody leading the charge with 23 points off balanced shooting.
Jokic alone was not enough. The Warriors bench poured in 44 points, Denver shot just 25.8% from three, and Golden State pulled away with a punishing 33-16 fourth quarter to seal it.
Table of contents
- Quick Score Summary
- Golden State Warriors Player Stats
- Denver Nuggets Player Stats
- Head-to-Head Team Stats Comparison
- What Actually Happened: Quarter by Quarter Context
- Nikola Jokic Triple-Double: What It Means
- Al Horford: The Under-the-Radar Star
- Warriors Bench: The Real Difference Maker
- Turnover and Transition Breakdown
- Paint Presence and Second Chance Points
- Final Analysis: Why Golden State Won
Quick Score Summary
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | 27 | 40 | 34 | 16 | 117 |
| Golden State Warriors | 39 | 37 | 19 | 33 | 128 |
Denver actually outscored Golden State 74-56 across the second and third quarters combined. The Warriors just built enough of a lead in Q1 that it never fully mattered.
Golden State Warriors Player Stats
The Warriors spread production across the roster. No single guy torched Denver, but every starter and most of the bench made the Nuggets pay.
| Player | POS | PTS | REB | AST | STL | FG% | 3PM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Moody | F | 23 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 56.3% | 4 | +5 |
| Al Horford | C | 22 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 72.7% | 6 | +14 |
| Brandin Podziemski | G | 18 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 43.8% | 3 | +19 |
| De’Anthony Melton | G | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 38.9% | 2 | +6 |
| Gary Payton II | G | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 54.5% | 3 | +4 |
| Will Richard | G | 11 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 44.4% | 1 | +10 |
| Quinten Post | C | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | -1 |
| Pat Spencer | G | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 33.3% | 0 | -7 |
Warriors Key Shooting Numbers
| Stat | Figure |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 51.1% |
| Three Point % | 40.4% (21/52) |
| Free Throw % | 91.7% (11/12) |
| Effective FG% | 62.2% |
| True Shooting % | 64.5% |
| Points in Paint | 46 |
| Bench Points | 44 |
| Points off Turnovers | 24 |
| Assists | 42 |
| Steals | 14 |
| Biggest Lead | +14 |
Al Horford’s night deserves its own section. He went 6-of-7 from three, finished 8-of-11 overall, and added 7 assists and 3 steals in what was arguably the most efficient game of any player on the floor. His true shooting percentage? 100.0%. That is not a typo.
Brandin Podziemski was everywhere too. Fifteen rebounds and nine assists at the guard position is the kind of box score that gets coaches fired for not adjusting. He finished with the best plus/minus on the team at +19.
Denver Nuggets Player Stats
Jokic was brilliant. The rest of the roster had a rough night from the floor.
| Player | POS | PTS | REB | AST | STL | FG% | 3PM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokic | C | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 52.4% | 3 | -6 |
| Christian Braun | G | 18 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 63.6% | 1 | +1 |
| Bruce Brown | G-F | 12 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 50.0% | 2 | -17 |
| Cameron Johnson | F | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14.3% | 0 | -8 |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | G-F | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | 1 | -6 |
| Julian Strawther | F | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 28.6% | 0 | -1 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | C | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 42.9% | 0 | -5 |
Nuggets Key Shooting Numbers
| Stat | Figure |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 46.2% |
| Three Point % | 25.8% (8/31) |
| Free Throw % | 86.2% (25/29) |
| Effective FG% | 50.5% |
| True Shooting % | 56.4% |
| Points in Paint | 60 |
| Bench Points | 28 |
| Second Chance Points | 22 |
| Fast Break Points | 20 |
| Assists | 25 |
| Steals | 13 |
| Total Rebounds | 52 |
Denver actually out-rebounded Golden State 52-50, and Jokic pulled down 20 rebounds alone. He also recorded a triple-double with 12 assists. The Nuggets dominated in the paint with 60 points there vs 46 for Golden State. None of it was enough because everything outside the arc stopped working after the first half.
Head-to-Head Team Stats Comparison
| Category | GSW | DEN |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 128 | 117 |
| Field Goal % | 51.1% | 46.2% |
| Three Point % | 40.4% | 25.8% |
| Free Throws Made | 11 | 25 |
| Total Rebounds | 50 | 52 |
| Assists | 42 | 25 |
| Steals | 14 | 13 |
| Blocks | 2 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
| Points in Paint | 46 | 60 |
| Bench Points | 44 | 28 |
| Points off Turnovers | 24 | 17 |
| Offensive Rating | 118.2 | 109.6 |
| Defensive Rating | 109.6 | 118.2 |
| Effective FG% | 62.2% | 50.5% |
That three-point shooting gap is where this game was decided. Golden State went 21-of-52 (40.4%) while Denver went 8-of-31 (25.8%). That is a 39-point swing in terms of total value generated from beyond the arc. When the Nuggets run out of Jokic touches, they become a team with no plan B.
What Actually Happened: Quarter by Quarter Context
First Quarter: Warriors Set the Tone
Golden State opened with a 39-27 first quarter that was the most controlled stretch of the game. The Warriors moved the ball with purpose, collecting 42 total assists on the night, and it started here. Denver looked disorganized on the offensive end early, and Golden State turned that into quick transition buckets. The Warriors scored 12 fast break points compared to Denver’s 20, but GSW collected theirs mostly in that first half blitz.
Second and Third Quarters: Jokic Takes Over
This is where the Nuggets fight back made it interesting. Denver outscored Golden State 74-56 over quarters two and three. Jokic shifted into a different gear, getting inside position, drawing fouls, and finding cutters. He went to the line and converted at a 90.9% clip. Denver’s second chance points (22) and paint dominance (60 pts) gave them a real shot entering the fourth.
Fourth Quarter: Denver Collapses
The Warriors outscored Denver 33-16 in the final period and that tells you everything. The Nuggets shot just 8-of-31 from three for the game and whatever volume they attempted in that fourth clearly did not fall. Golden State’s bench, led by Melton (4 steals, 20 points) and the starters just closed it out with discipline. The Warriors recorded an efficiency game score of 118.0 vs Denver’s 98.5.
Nikola Jokic Triple-Double: What It Means
Look at this line: 35 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks.
Jokic’s efficiency numbers were elite even in a loss:
- True Shooting %: 67.7%
- Efficiency Score: 62 (highest on the floor by far)
- Efficiency Game Score: 40.1
- 6 offensive rebounds, including 3 second-chance conversions
- 3-of-4 from three
He drew 7 fouls and got to the line 11 times, converting 10. He also committed 5 turnovers, which partly explains why Denver’s assists-to-turnover ratio (1.47) was so much lower than Golden State’s (2.8).
When one player puts up a line like that and his team still loses by 11, it says less about him and more about the rest of the roster’s night. Cameron Johnson went 1-of-7, Tim Hardaway Jr. went 3-of-9, and Julian Strawther went 2-of-7.
For a detailed breakdown of every individual player stat line from this game and other NBA matchups, visit Match vs Player Stats for full game logs.
Al Horford: The Under-the-Radar Star
Nobody is going to put Al Horford’s name in the headline but the numbers say he was the most efficient player in this building on February 22.
| Horford Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Points | 22 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Steals | 3 |
| Blocks | 2 |
| FG% | 72.7% |
| 3PM / 3PA | 6 of 7 |
| True Shooting % | 100.0% |
| Plus/Minus | +14 |
He did not take a single offensive rebound and barely needed to. Six three-pointers on seven attempts while also directing the offense with 7 assists. The Warriors leaned on his IQ and it paid off in a massive way. Denver had no answer for a center stepping out and drilling threes from the wing.
Warriors Bench: The Real Difference Maker
44 bench points vs 28 for Denver. That 16-point bench advantage is almost the exact margin of the final scoreline.
De’Anthony Melton came off the bench and posted 20 points on 4 steals. That steal number matters because Golden State converted 24 points off turnovers vs Denver’s 17. Melton was a major reason for that. He was also second on the team in scoring behind Moody.
| Warriors Bench Contributor | Points | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|
| De’Anthony Melton | 20 | 4 steals, 4/4 FT |
| Will Richard | 11 | 44.4% FG, 3 assists |
| Quinten Post | 0 | 7 rebounds, 4 assists |
| Pat Spencer | 2 | 5 assists |
Golden State’s second unit did not just score, they facilitated. Post and Spencer combined for 9 assists without doing much scoring, keeping the offense moving when the starters rested.
Turnover and Transition Breakdown
Both teams were sloppy with the ball but Golden State punished Denver more effectively.
| Turnover Category | GSW | DEN |
|---|---|---|
| Total Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
| Points off Turnovers | 24 | 17 |
| Steals | 14 | 13 |
| Assists/Turnover Ratio | 2.8 | 1.47 |
Denver was actually slightly more careful (17 vs 18 turnovers) but gave up more quality looks off those mistakes. The Warriors’ 14 steals were huge. Four of those came from Melton alone.
Paint Presence and Second Chance Points
Denver physically dominated inside but could not convert enough.
| Category | GSW | DEN |
|---|---|---|
| Points in Paint | 46 | 60 |
| FG at Rim Made/Att | 16/21 (76.2%) | 20/29 (69.0%) |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9 | 14 |
| Second Chance Points | 12 | 22 |
| Second Chance % | 55.6% | 53.8% |
Denver earned 22 second-chance points and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. Jokic alone pulled 6 of those offensive boards. But the Warriors made up for their interior disadvantage by connecting from the perimeter at a 40.4% rate, which more than erased Denver’s paint edge.
Final Analysis: Why Golden State Won
Three things decided this game:
1. Three-Point Shooting Gap Golden State shot 40.4% from three and made 21 of them. Denver shot 25.8% and made only 8. That 13-shot differential in made threes worth roughly 39 points of value was irreversible. The Nuggets’ half-court offense when Jokic is not in scoring mode relies heavily on perimeter shooting and it simply did not show up.
2. Bench Depth 44 bench points cannot be overstated. Denver’s bench managed 28 points. That 16-point gap tracks directly with the final margin. The Warriors had contributions from five or six different players on any given possession while the Nuggets leaned heavily on their starting five.
3. Fourth Quarter Execution 33-16 in Q4. Golden State’s offense ran cleaner, their defense tightened in the clutch, and Denver ran out of answers once the deep ball stopped falling. The Nuggets’ offensive rating for the game (109.6) is respectable, but it collapsed in the final period when it mattered most.
Jokic’s 35-point triple-double in a loss is one of the more fascinating individual stat lines of the 2025-26 NBA season. But the broader picture of the Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors match player stats from February 22 shows a Warriors team that was balanced, deep, and sharp from three, and a Nuggets squad that needed more from everyone not named Jokic.
Stats sourced from official NBA game data. For complete per-player box scores across all NBA matchups including Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors match player stats from every game this season, visit Match vs Player Stats.
