Top Takeaways from Steph Curry, Warriors' Win vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

For the first time in more than a month, the Golden State Warriors are on a winning streak. And that could be a bad thing for the rest of the NBA moving into the homestretch of the regular season and beyond.

The Warriors pulled away late for a 113-102 road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, as they scored the final 13 points of the contest. Stephen Curry led the way for Golden State with 34 points, 24 of which came in the second half and helped his team erase a nine-point halftime deficit.

The win came two days after the Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. The last time that Golden State had won consecutive games was a nine-game winning streak from Jan. 21-Feb. 7. The Warriors then dropped nine of their next 11 games after that.

Here are some key takeaways from Golden State's latest victory.

Curry's Season of Milestones Has Been Enjoyable to Watch

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Curry is a special player, which is something that fans have learned throughout his 13-year NBA career. And this season, the 33-year-old point guard is making sure that his name is all over the league's record books.

On Thursday, Curry surpassed the 20,000-point milestone, a mark that only 48 players in NBA history had previously reached. He's the first player to reach the number with all of his points coming with the Warriors. He's the franchise's all-time leading scorer at 20,006 points and counting, well ahead of second-place Wilt Chamberlain (17,783).

It wasn't the first time that Curry made history during the 2021-22 season. On Dec. 14, he became the NBA's all-time three-point leader, breaking the record previously held by Ray Allen (2,973). Curry is now up to 3,102 trifectas in his career.

"This whole year has kind of been a steady reminder of just how blessed I am to play this game at the highest level, to be healthy, still enjoy the game and still love what I do," Curry said, per C.J. Peterson of Sports Illustrated. "I don’t see that changing any time soon, but also, just a reminder that all the work you put in, everybody that helped you get to this point."

Over the past two seasons, Curry has reminded his fans, fellow players and more just how enjoyable it is to watch him at his best. He was limited to five games during the 2019-20 campaign because of a broken left hand. He returned and led the NBA in scoring with 32 points per game in 2020-21.

This season, Curry ranks 10th in the league at 25.8 points per game. But perhaps more importantly, he's leading the Warriors to success after they missed the playoffs each of the past two years.

Regardless of how far Golden State goes this season, it's been a joy to watch Curry rack up accolades and leave his mark on the sport. He's turning 34 on Monday, but he's proving that he still has plenty left in the tank and could continue to move even further up the NBA's all-time scoring list in the future.

Things Are Clearly Trending Back Up for the Warriors

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Whether it was Tuesday's surprise appearance by Jackie Moon or something else, the Warriors appear to be back on track. After struggling for most of the previous month, they've notched back-to-back victories over quality Western Conference opponents and look more like the team that was 41-13 on Feb. 7.

Curry had 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting and collected nine rebounds, but he was far from the only reason Golden State had success in Denver on Thursday night. Jordan Poole (21 points) and Jonathan Kuminga (18) had strong showings off the bench, while Kevon Looney had 10 points and seven rebounds and also played stellar defense against reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic may have had 23 points, but he went 9-for-21 from the field—including 0-for-8 on three-pointers—and committed five turnovers. Without Looney's presence in the post, this game could have gone quite differently.

Perhaps most encouraging was the fact that Golden State played well in a tight game down the stretch against a Denver team that it could potentially face in the Western Conference playoffs.

"It was a great second half, terrible first half, so I’m proud of the way the guys responded," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, per Dennis Georgatos of the Associated Press. "It was a much-needed win and hopefully we can put together a little streak here."

There was good news for the Warriors outside of Denver, too. James Wiseman, the 20-year-old center who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League on Thursday, his first game action since tearing the meniscus in his right knee 11 months ago.

It was a big step for Wiseman before he eventually returns to Golden State's rotation. So things sure seem to be trending up for both the Warriors' short- and long-term futures, giving their fans plenty to be excited about.