The Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-116 at Chase Center on Wednesday to secure their third straight win and fifth victory in the past six games.

Monte Morris drained the buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the Nuggets, assisted by Nikola Jokic. This last drive of the Nuggets took them five seconds to finish after Stephen Curry had completed a 2+1 play that almost sealed the deal for the Warriors.

"Monte made a clutch bucket," Curry said. "The last thing you can do in that situation is give up a 3."

Before Jokic found Morris open and made the pass, the reigning MVP went 13-24 in field goals (FGs), 3-5 in 3-pointers, and 6-9 in free throws to get 35 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists. He was forcing his way toward the rim against Kevon Looney, who had already committed five personal fouls.

Therefore, Curry was not completely wrong when he decided to leave Morris open and try to double-team Jokic. However, the Warriors led 116-114 back then. Even if Jokic had made that shot, it would have been a draw, as long as Looney didn't foul on him.

"I just wanted to go in the middle of the paint and shoot a hook shot," Jokic said after the game. "I just saw Steph, and he was helping a little bit, and Monte was wide open, so I just passed the ball."

It was not the only major mistake Curry made on Wednesday night that almost cost the Warriors the home game. Sixteen seconds before the Nuggets' buzzer-beater, the Warriors were leading 113-112. Curry missed a step-back 3-pointer, which led to a long rebound. Morris grabbed the rebound and then scored an easy layup in fast break, giving the Nuggets their first lead of the game 114-113.

Curry was 1-6 from downtown before shooting that triple. More importantly, he already beat Bryn Forbes' defense and thus, could have continued to charge in the area where he was 8-11. The decision to shoot a 3-pointer then was questionable, to say the least.

Curry made up for the missed triple in the following possession by making a jumper in the middle range while drawing a foul by Morris. However, all of his efforts were meaningless after Morris drained that game-winning 3-pointer five seconds later.

Lakers came back to beat Jazz despite Davis' injury

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 106-101 at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, ending their three-game losing streak.

Things once grew extremely desperate for the purple and gold after Anthony Davis suffered a terrifying ankle sprain in the second quarter. After getting a rebound, he landed on Rudy Gobert's foot, bending his right ankle at a 90-degree angle to his leg.

Davis was 7-9 in FGs to score 17 points and two blocks before he went out. His offensive presence made Gobert very uncomfortable.

The Lakers later revealed that the X-rays on Davis' ankle were negative, and the team will schedule an MRI for him on Thursday. ESPN reported that he will stay away from the court for at least two weeks.

"Obviously, it's sickening to see AD go down in that fashion," LeBron James said. "I hope he's fine. Obviously, I mean, I know he's not like, great, but obviously, his health is most important for him individually, for our ball club. I've seen [teammates get injured] too many times, obviously. So, I just wish him the best."

The loss of Davis incentivized the rest of the team to work harder on the floor. They contained the Jazz's 3-point rate to 26.7 percent (4-15) in the second half. Donovan Mitchell, who had 26 points in the first two quarters, only got 11 in Q3 and Q4 for the Jazz. James took over the floor as the game entered the last quarter, contributing 15 points in Q4 alone. The Jazz had no one to match him for one-on-one defense. When they switched Gobert to him, James punished them for the decision by firing behind the arc and beating the French giant to charge the rim.

"It's very deflating to see AD go down the way he did, and our guys tried to rally the necessary energy to start the second half," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "But there's an energy that you have to overcome."

The Lakers will have a lot more to overcome in the games after the All-Star break. Without Davis, they lost the most integral part of their small-ball squad and probably the team's best defender. Thirty-seven-year-old James will have to overload himself and shoulder more offensive duties, and coach Vogel will need to decide who plays center in the small-ball lineup or whether the Lakers should return to a regular squad that includes a true center.

Other games on Wednesday (away teams are listed first):

Atlanta Hawks 130-109 Orlando Magic

Detroit Pistons 112-111 Boston Celtics

Washington Wizards 108-113 Indiana Pacers

Brooklyn Nets 111-106 New York Knicks

Sacramento Kings 118-125 Chicago Bulls

Portland Trail Blazers 123-119 Memphis Grizzlies

Toronto Raptors 103-91 Minnesota Timberwolves

San Antonio Spurs 114-106 Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets 121-124 Phoenix Suns