LOS ANGELES — Denver forward Danilo Gallinari scored 28 points and came up with a key late steal as the Nuggets handed the Golden State Warriors just their third defeat of the NBA season Wednesday, 112-110 in Colorado.
Golden State’s star guard Stephen Curry scored 38 points, but the Warriors trailed by 10 heading into the final period and couldn’t quite climb out of the hole.
“I don’t think we played hard enough for the majority of the game,” said Warriors coach Luke Walton, whose team fell to 36-3.
The Warriors, who are chasing not only a repeat title but the record for regular season wins set by the 72-10 Chicago Bulls of 1995-96 — had a chance to pull it out at the end.
Gallinari, who made 17-for-19 free throws, missed one with 3.1 seconds left to give the Warriors a chance to overcome the 112-110 deficit.
Golden State inbounded the ball, but Klay Thompson missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Golden State played without versatile forward Draymond Green, who missed his first game of the season as a scheduled day of rest.
A layup from Warriors forward Harrison Barnes and a three-pointer by Curry made it 109-107 with 37.1 seconds to play.
Gallinari then stole the ball from Curry and Denver guard Gary Harris hit two free throws with 5.4 seconds left.
Thompson sank a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110.
But after Gallinari made one of two free throws, Thompson was unable to get the game-winner. Guard Will Barton finished with 21 points for the Nuggets.
Clippers 104, Heat 90
Despite playing without Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the Los Angeles Clippers blitzed the Miami Heat 104-90 at Staples Center.
Cole Aldrich, who started in place of Jordan, scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Chris Paul had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, sparking the Clippers to their 10th consecutive victory.
Nets 110, Knicks 104
Thaddeus Young had 19 points and 11 rebounds and the Brooklyn Nets had six players post double figures as they ended a 10-game home losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the New York Knicks.
Young finished with his 19th double-double and reached double figures for the 35th time. He also thrived defensively against Knicks rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis.
Wizards 106, Bucks 101
John Wall scored 19 points and the Washington Wizards opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run and pulled away for their third straight win, a 106-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ramon Sessions had 15 points for the Wizards (18-19), who blew a 19-point lead in the first half and trailed 74-71 entering the final period before pulling ahead of the turnover-plagued Bucks.
Washington, who turned 27 Milwaukee turnovers into 36 points, improved to 3-0 against the Bucks this season.
Rockets 107, Timberwolves 104
James Harden and Dwight Howard recorded double-doubles while Terrence Jones delivered a second consecutive strong effort off the bench as the Houston Rockets held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-104 at Toyota Center.
Harden, who reached 10,000 career points on a fourth-quarter free throw, paired 27 points with 11 assists, while Howard added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Houston (21-19) extended their winning streak to a season-best five games.
Thunder 108, Mavericks 89
Kevin Durant scored 29 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 108-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Durant shot nine of 14 from the field to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Serge Ibaka added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Thunder improved to 28-12.
Other results: Hornets 107, Hawks 84; Celtics 103, Pacers 94; Trail Blazers 99, Jazz 85; Pelicans 109, Kings 97.
