Nikola Jokic says he knew 3 that stunned Warriors was going in

SAN FRANCISCO – Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon handed the ball to center Nikola Jokic with 3.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors and the score was tied.

Jokic completed three dribbles down the right side of the court, then launched a 39-foot 3-pointer over the head of Warriors center Kevon Looney.

From the Nuggets' bench perspective, it seemed perfect.

“When it left his hands, all the coaches in the backcourt were like, 'It's on the line. It's happening,'” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“I don't know if it was something in my intuition or what, but I knew we weren't going to overtime. I knew Joker was going to make that shot,” forward Peyton Watson said.

And he did it. Jokic's shot came off the glass and hit, sealing the Nuggets' 130-127 victory over the Warriors. Even Jokic knew it was coming.

“It was the last option with this play,” Jokic said. “I just took a photo. I think these photos are the easiest to take. You have no other options. So actually, when I felt it, I was like, 'Oh, I I'm going to put this in the bank.' You can see the flight of the ball, and I knew I was going to bank it.”

It was the final blow on a 25-4 run for the Nuggets over the final 6:45 of the game, including a 13-0 run.

“The thing about Nikola, I like the fact that he gets to his spot, he sets up and he just shoots,” Gordon said. “He doesn't let the defense change the situation at all. When he shoots, there's always a chance he'll make it.”

Jokic finished with 34 points on 13-of-15 shooting, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Gordon added 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting and guard Jamal Murray had 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

But heading into the fourth quarter, Denver trailed by 18, after the Warriors outscored the Nuggets 44-24 in the third quarter.

The Nuggets said they expected Golden State to throw their best shot at them, especially after scoring 70 points in the first half, including 42 in the paint — the most points the Warriors have allowed in the first half this season.

The Warriors' third quarter was one of their best periods of the season. Their 75% shooting from the field was also their best mark of any quarter thus far, and their +20 point differential was their second-best of any quarter (+21 in the third against the Phoenix Suns on October 24) .

Gordon said the Nuggets never gave up. At every timeout, they were positive, pushing the mentality of one stop, one score, one stop, one score until they managed to even the playing field.

Malone said he was most proud of that mindset and his team's ability to withstand Golden State's surge.

“They came out really aggressive in the third quarter, and we couldn't match it. They were right on our heels,” Malone said. “I said, ‘OK, that’s enough. We have our backs to the ball. We have to go now,” and then we became the aggressor. We became the team that makes stops, pushes, attacks, we became more physical.

The more aggressive team is going to win. … I felt like when the game was on the line, we were the more aggressive team.”

This is the seventh time this season the Warriors have led by 10 points or more and still lost. This is their fourth time with a lead of at least 18 points.

“The defense was incredible in the fourth period,” Jokic said. “We didn't want to give up. We could easily find excuses to lose this game. … But the guys didn't put their heads down. We were really aggressive. They only scored four points. It's really very good defense, especially against this team.

Arguably, the most important defensive play of the night came just seconds before Jokic's game-winning shot.

With 6.2 seconds left, Murray intercepted a cross-court pass attempt from Warriors guard Stephen Curry.

“Jamal understood the situation very well,” Jokic said.

Malone tried to call a timeout immediately, but didn't get one until after Murray dribbled. Thus, the Nuggets were forced to strip the ball three-quarters of the way.

Malone had three plays in mind. The first was going to be Murray on the strong side on the sidelines. The second was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope flying away from Jokic in half-court. The third was Gordon hitting Jokic, and hoping the two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP could make something happen.

This is the last thing that happened. But there was no panic, especially from Jokic, who saved his shot in less than four seconds to find it.

“I wish I could tell you [that’s how I drew it up]. But he's just a great player who makes a good play,” Malone said. “Nikola lives for those moments. And it’s great and joyful to see a player of his talent go out there and make the plays that he makes.”