Nuggets' Nikola Jokić: 'I Just Knew I Was Going to Bank' Game-Winner vs. Warriors

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić had no doubt his last-second three-pointer was going to go in and give the reigning NBA champs a victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Jokić said he "just knew I was going to bank it" in because there was no other option for him on the play.

"That was the last option with that play," he explained. "I just took a shot. I think those shots are the easiest shots to take. You don't have any other options. So actually, when I felt it, I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to bank this.' You can see the flight of the ball, and I just knew I was going to bank it."

The Warriors entered the fourth quarter seemingly on their way to a fairly smooth victory. They led 107-94 when the final period began and extended that advantage to 18 points after an Andrew Wiggins step-back jumper with 6:51 remaining.

Denver finished the game on a 25-4 run after that point. Jokić scored or assisted on 11 points during that stretch. He was the safety valve on the final play, which was initially set up with Jamal Murray as the first read and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the second option for Aaron Gordon's inbounds pass.

When neither player was open, Jokić got the ball and was able to create enough space while getting within range to take a shot before the buzzer sounded. It went in the basket to cap off a night in which he finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Golden State's offense went ice-cold over the final 12 minutes. It scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters, including 44 in the third. The fourth quarter saw the Warriors put up just 20 points.

Stephen Curry dropped 30 points overall, but his only scoring during the Nuggets' run was two free throws with 3:13 left to play. His final offensive play was a bad pass that Murray stole to set up Jokić's game-winner.

Since losing a season-high three straight games from Dec. 2-8, the Nuggets have won 11 of their last 13 games. Their 25-11 record is 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Denver will play the second night of a back-to-back on Friday when it hosts the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena.