Regardless of the momentum the Warriors have amassed this month, Nikola Jokic will always be the NBA’s unstoppable player.

Jokic ended Golden State’s winning streak on Sunday night; the Warriors had won 10 of their previous 12 games prior to the Nuggets’ arrival, during which they were defending champions. Jokic led Denver to a 119-103 triumph in a game that was broadcasted nationwide. He scored 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and added four steals. He had a hand in forcing Draymond Green into his career-high six turnovers on defence.

“Jokic was absolutely phenomenal,” commented Warriors coach Steve Kerr following the game. He utterly dominated that game and repeatedly put us in our place. “There is a reason they are the champs.”

The Nuggets swept the season series at Chase Centre, 4-0, despite a good start from the Warriors (29-27), led by Klay Thompson. By the time coach Steve Kerr benched his starting lineup in the fourth quarter, Golden State had scored only 16 points, and the offence had cooled down once Thompson did as well.

The Warriors’ leading scorer, Thompson, had a blazing first half, making five 3-pointers. Nevertheless, following the break, he was held scoreless.

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After losing all three of their encounters with Denver, the Warriors were playing their third straight game and had given up a total of 12 points in those games. Jokic’s 39-foot buzzer beater with seconds remaining snapped a 127-127 tie and gave the Nuggets their final triumph at Chase Centre.

Sunday’s game, which Kerr labelled the “ultimate test,” saw the Warriors laser-focused from the first tip because of their active hands in the passing lanes and their ability to create offensive opportunities with back-cuts. Warriors jerseys were sprayed all over the court as the ball swirled around on a thread.

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The focus remained on how the Warriors will assess two-time MVP Nikola Jokic throughout. Since Green starts at five, centre Kevon Looney’s playing time has diminished. However, Looney, who has defended Jokic in the past, is their second-most physical option. He was significantly more involved in the smaller Warriors’ game plan against Denver.

Shortly after his arrival, Jokic beat Looney with a post goal. But Looney answered right away with back-to-back stops, even without double-team support. With Green and Looney, they were able to escape foul trouble, which was important when they faced Jokic. Jokic is arguably the best player in the world, so no team can really hope to stop him, but the Warriors made the right decision by holding onto their best defensive options.

Thompson, the legendary marksman, was shooting with grace and efficiency at the same moment. He made four three-pointers in the first quarter, including an off-balance wing heave. He was too strong for even Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a formidable defender.

Several times this season, Thompson has been known to slap his thighs angrily while sitting on the bench with a towel over his head. He has trailed behind many times, his shot coming up just short. According to his coach, he has been openly battling mentally and confronting his own death after being benched for the first time since his rookie year.

But in the first half, he summoned that characteristic assurance that materialises whenever his shots hit.

After his sixth triple, Thompson ran to the base of the infield and shouted to the enthusiastic Chase Centre crowd. By then, he had dropped twenty-one points in less than nine minutes. Not long after, Thompson beat Zeke Nnaji to score a driving layup by putting the ball on the floor. When he was replaced in the second quarter, the Warriors had a dominating 11-point lead. Another objective would escape him.

Despite Thompson’s 23 points, a 14-0 run led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic prevented the Warriors from taking a significant lead in the first half.

Steph Curry stayed still as Jokic surpassed the triple-double threshold at the beginning of the third and Murray failed to miss. He was 2 for 11 during Denver’s 12-0 third-inning run and did not record a stoppage.

Curry plucked up the courage to go in behind by ten. In addition to his 20 points, he extended his game to the 3-point line after getting a couple of free throws and getting in for a finger roll. He used a drive and kick to set up Lester Quinones for a corner three with 82 seconds left in the game.

But the moment Curry got rolling, his splash brother ran out of steam. Thompson started the game 7 for 10, then he missed five straight attempts. Curry, who appeared exhausted in the previous two games, scored 20 points on 19 attempts.

Attempting to narrow Denver’s eight-point advantage with 1:45 remaining, the Warriors’ Nikola Jokic received a bounce pass on the short roll, then, in a single motion, spun and tossed an alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. Jokic’s brilliant plays were much too numerous for Golden State to handle.