Warriors 111, Nuggets 108, OT
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson split the defense with a driving hoop with 15.6 seconds remaining in overtime Saturday night, breaking a tie and propelling the Golden State Warriors to a 111-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Thompson's basket came after Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried had banked in a tightly contested eight-footer with 33.3 seconds remaining, forging a 108-108 tie.
But Faried was injured on Thompson's subsequent basket when he collided with teammate Will Barton. He had to be taken from the floor area on a stretcher after the game was over.
Barton had two subsequent chances to tie the game.
First, he misfired on a running five-footer and Thompson, fouled after Warriors backup center Marreese Speights snatched the rebound, increased the Golden State lead to 111-108 by making one of two free throws with 6.9 seconds left.
Barton then got Denver's final shot, but couldn't connect on a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Power forward Draymond Green recorded a 29-point, 17-rebound, 14-assist triple-double for the Warriors, who improved to 16-0 at home this season while recording their third win over Denver this season.
The win was Golden State's 34th in a row at home bridging this and last season, matching the fifth-best streak of all-time.
The Warriors complete a two-game homestand Monday against Charlotte.
Thompson finished with 26 points and backup guard Ian Clark had 15 for Golden State (31-2), which played the second half and overtime without star guard Stephen Curry, who had returned from a calf injury, only to reinjure his lower left leg during a 14 1/2-minute stint.
Small forward Danilo Gallinari, returning from a six-game absence, had 24 points for Denver, which recorded 52 rebounds in the game, including 24 on the offensive boards.
Barton had 21 points and point guard Jameer Nelson 20 for Denver, while Faried contributed a 15 points and 12 rebounds, getting nine of his rebounds at the offensive end.
The Warriors led 37-11 at one point after a 21-2 opening flurry during which Green bombed in four straight 3-pointers.
But the Nuggets (12-22), who brought a four-game losing streak to town, outscored the Warriors in each of the next three quarters, finally drawing even at 102-all on a layup by Barton with nine-tenths of a second remaining in regulation.
The Nuggets rallied behind Gallinari, Nelson and 22 offensive rebounds in regulation play.
Golden State appeared on its way to a blowout win when it hit eight of its first 11 shots to bolt to a 21-2 advantage in the first 5:44 of the game.
But the Nuggets narrowed the gap to 13 by the end of the third quarter, then chipped away in the final period until Barton's fast-break dunk after a Golden State turnover got Denver within 102-100 with 34.5 seconds left.
Then after Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala missed on a jumper for the Warriors, Barton's nifty interior move in the final second forced the extra period.
Green did a majority of the damage early with his four 3's and also added a dunk as he single-handedly outscored Denver, 14-2.
Iguodala, making a rare start, contributed two- and 3-point hoops to the flurry and Curry, who had missed the previous two games, dropped in a layup to cap the early scoring.
Thompson buried a 3 of his own in the final minute of the period to max out the advantage at 37-11. But the Nuggets wouldn't go away.
Nelson had a 12-point second quarter and Gallinari enjoyed a 10-point third period as the Nuggets outscored Golden State 64-53 over that 24-minute stretch to get within 90-77 entering the final period.
NOTES: The Warriors sold out their 150th consecutive home game, the seventh-longest active streak in the NBA. ... There is still no timetable for Warriors coach Steve Kerr's return. "It's frustrating (for him)," interim coach Luke Walton observed, "because it's out of his control." ... Like Kerr, Warriors SF Harrison Barnes (ankle) is game-to-game at this point and hasn't been ruled out of Monday's matchup with Charlotte. ... Warriors first-round pick Kevon Looney (hip) has been cleared to begin workouts and is expected to join the Warriors' NBA Developmental League affiliate in Santa Cruz (Calif.) in the next couple of weeks. ... Nuggets coach Michael Malone indicated before the game that injured PG Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) could be ready to return to game action by the end of next week. The rookie missed his 11th consecutive game Saturday. ... Nuggets C Jusuf Nurkic, who made his season debut Saturday, averaged 6.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 62 games last year.