On Sunday, the Golden State Warriors jumped out to a 15-point lead over the Denver Nuggets behind a scorching Klay Thompson.

But the Nuggets came back with two 14-0 runs to win 119-103 in a game that was crucial to both clubs’ Western Conference standings. The Nuggets raised their record to 39-19 to stay 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves in first place. The Warriors finished with a 29-27 record, one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the final play-in position in the conference in 10th place.

Thompson’s 23 first-half points, which included five 3-pointers made in a flashback to his Splash Brothers heyday, put Golden State up early on. However, the Nuggets put on a 14-0 run to end the half, quieting the Chase Centre crowd and tying the game at 61-61 at the break.

In the third quarter, Denver had another 14-0 run to take a 76-65 lead. Stephen Curry laboured from the field, and Thompson went cold, preventing the falling Warriors from mounting a comeback of their own. When it came down to it, an ageing Warriors team vying for a postseason berth was up against peak players Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.

Jokić posted another incredible triple-double while dominating a helpless Warriors defence.

After finishing with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists, he passed LeBron James for fourth place all-time in the scoring standings with his 139th triple-double of his career, including playoffs. 13 of his 24 shots came from the pitch.

Murray consistently made difficult shots to widen Denver’s advantage while scoring an effective 27 points, pulling down four rebounds, and dishing out three assists. He made 9 of 16 field goals and 3 of 5 three-pointers.

Following his 23-point half, Thompson was kept scoreless by the Nuggets. Curry shot 6 of 19 from the field, including 1 of 10 from long range, to finish with 20 points and four assists.