Nuggets vs Warriors: Podziemski’s Breakout, Jokic’s Triple-Double, and the Stakes for Both Teams

On Feb. 22, 2026 the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 128-117 at Chase Center, in a game that at once felt like a shifting of table stakes and a reminder that single games can swing momentum in both directions. The Warriors, short‑handed and without Stephen Curry, rode a late surge from Brandin Podziemski and veteran shotmaking from Al Horford. Nikola Jokić answered with another historic performance, finishing with a massive triple-double, but Denver could not close out a late Golden State run.

Game recap

Golden State opened hot and led through the first half, building a 76-67 edge at halftime. Al Horford, starting in place of Draymond Green, hit multiple early threes and finished with efficient, veteran scoring. Denver rallied after the break, and Nikola Jokić produced a monumentally productive night, but the Warriors closed on a 19-8 run in the fourth quarter to turn a close finish into a double-digit win.

The most dramatic sequence came late in the fourth when Brandin Podziemski, after a poor start, poured in 15 of his 18 points in the final five minutes, including a go-ahead three and key mid-range buckets that broke the game open. Jokić collected an eye‑popping stat line, but fatigue and roster absences left Denver one step short in the final stretch.

Key performances

"We were rested and they were not, but we’ll take it," said a Warriors coach after the win, reflecting both the tactical plan and the reality of Denver's compressed schedule.

What the numbers tell us

• Jokić's triple-double was dominant on paper, and he remained the hub of Denver's offense, yet the Nuggets struggled with turnovers and spacing late in the game.
• Podziemski's all-around night—near a triple-double—showed how Golden State can survive short-term star absences when role players create and rebound.
• Golden State assisted on 42 baskets, pointing to ball movement as the antidote to missing its top scorer.

Tactical takeaways

Golden State

• Pace and ball movement were front and center. With Curry out, the Warriors pushed transition and prioritized passing to create open looks, which led to a high assist total and multiple corner threes from role players.
• Horford provided a floor‑spacing veteran presence, hitting key threes early to buy the bench room and calm the offense.

Denver

• Denver leaned hard on Jokić, and he delivered, but the team showed signs of wear after playing multiple games in short order. Turnovers and a late defensive lapse on perimeter rotation cost them possessions at the worst time.
• Absences on Denver’s wing rotation, and minutes management across a compressed schedule, were recurring themes, and they influenced the team’s late-game defense.

Multiple viewpoints

• Warriors fans will see this as evidence that Golden State can stay competitive without Curry for stretches, because of ball movement, veteran leadership, and a rising young core.
• Nuggets supporters will point to Jokić's performance as validation that the team’s MVP-level anchor keeps them elite, and argue that schedule fatigue and a few missing rotation pieces explain the loss.
• Neutral observers can note that the matchup highlighted two different construction philosophies: Golden State’s motion and shooting depth, and Denver’s dominance through an all‑world center.

Standings and immediate implications (as of Feb. 22, 2026)

• Denver improved to 36-22 on the season, sitting near the top of the West standings, though this loss represented a missed opportunity to seize momentum.
• Golden State moved to 30-27, a record that keeps them inside the Western playoff picture, but their fate remains tied to Stephen Curry’s health.

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Season series (regular season), as of Feb. 22, 2026:
Warriors lead the season series, 2-1.
Next meetings will influence seeding conversations down the stretch.
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Injuries and roster context

• Stephen Curry was absent for this game, and the Warriors placed a re-evaluation date of March 1, 2026 on his knee, meaning he was expected to miss at least several more games while the club manages runner's knee and bone bruise symptoms. That timeline is material for Golden State's planning and for league observers weighing playoff odds.
• Denver was dealing with a compressed schedule and a couple of rotation absences in this window, factors that the team acknowledged after the game.

What this game means going forward

• For Golden State, the win is a morale boost, showing the roster has depth and a multi-pronged attack capable of winning without its franchise scorer in the short term.
• For Denver, the loss is a reminder that even extraordinary individual nights from a superstar can be neutralized by opponent depth and situational fatigue, and that closing out tough road environments will be necessary to secure home‑court advantages in spring.

Looking ahead

• The Nuggets' immediate schedule had them hosting the Boston Celtics in the next game, a quick pivot back to conference and national competition. Golden State faced the New Orleans Pelicans on the following night, testing how the short-handed rotation holds up on the second night of a back-to-back trip.

Bottom line

This was a consequential regular season meeting that blended urgency, individual excellence, and roster management. Brandin Podziemski's late‑game star turn and Al Horford's steady shooting flipped a close game for Golden State, while Nikola Jokić's historic triple-double reinforced why Denver remains one of the league's toughest teams to dislodge. The result alters short-term momentum for both clubs, but the larger story for the season will continue to hinge on health, depth, and how each team navigates the final weeks leading into the postseason.

By David Anderson