Nuggets Blow Doors Off Golden State, Tying NBA Record for Three-Pointers

The Golden State Warriors matched their loss total from all of last season on February 13, a fact that would serve as a warning sign for most teams. It's not so big a deal when you're coming off the greatest regular season in league history, and the Warriors' 2016-17 record sits at still-pretty-respectable 46-9, with four fewer losses than the No. 2 team in the NBA—but the manner in which they picked up that ninth loss is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

Simply put, the super team was laughed off the court Monday night by a Denver Nuggets squad missing five players due to injury and one more (the newly acquired Mason Plumlee) due to a recently completed trade. Denver put up 42 points in the first quarter, 79 points in the first half, and set a few records en route to a 132-110 win.

Now, three-point-shooting records don't exactly stand the test of time these days, but the Nuggets tied two regular-season marks on Monday: most threes in a half and most threes in a game.

Nuggets tied NBA record for 3-pointers made in a half with 16 in first half vs Warriors (Cavaliers 16 earlier in season vs Trail Blazers) pic.twitter.com/9fPnEFCeJS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 14, 2017

Nuggets finished 24-40 from 3-point range, tying NBA regular-season record for made threes in a game (Rockets earlier in season vs Pelicans) pic.twitter.com/v2wYQVVQFn
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 14, 2017

Rookie forward Juancho Hernangomez led the way with six threes. Sadly, the Nuggets missed their final three looks from downtown, costing them the outright record.

As for Steph Curry, the two-time reigning MVP extended his own three-point record Monday by shooting 1-11 from beyond the arc. He now has 12 games of at least ten three-point misses, by far the most in league history.

Steph Curry has four more games with double-digit misses from three than any other player in NBA history. https://t.co/SiXEvAv1Ou
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 14, 2017

That's nothing to be ashamed of, really—even the greats have their occasional off nights. But it serves as a remarkable juxtaposition on an evening when the young Nuggets couldn't miss. Denver has shaken off some early-season rust to climb to eighth in the NBA in offensive efficiency. They are scoring 114.2 points per 100 possessions in 2017, second only to, yep, the Warriors.

That offensive surge has been spearheaded by second-year big man Nikola Jokic, who led Denver with 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists—his second triple-double in the last two weeks. The young Serb is putting up downright Russell Westbrook-esque numbers of late.

The @nuggets Nikola Jokic is one of three players averaging 20+ PPG, 10+ RPG, & 5+ APG since 1/1/17 (via @statmuse): https://t.co/8zIVU1Lh56
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 14, 2017

The Nuggets are by no means on Golden State's level overall—they rank dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency—but they are beginning to come into their own as the most high-octane offense east of the Bay Area.