DENVER (Interstat) — Yaxel Lendeborg scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Stephen Curry added 24 points and the Golden State Warriors used a dominant third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 134-114 at Ball Arena. Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9, 241-pound forward, also had six assists and one block in 31 minutes. Curry, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard out of Davidson, finished with three rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. Golden State improved to 1-3, snapping a three-game losing streak to open the season. Denver fell to 1-2. The announced attendance was 19,520. Lendeborg, who had 26 points and nine rebounds in the previous game at Phoenix and 18 points and 13 rebounds against Memphis, has now scored at least 18 points in each of his first four games. He shot 11 of 18 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line.

Denver started strong, scoring the first six points on a 25-foot 3-pointer from Nikola Jokic and a 25-foot running jumper by Jamal Murray. The Nuggets led 6-0 before Brandin Podziemski answered with a 25-foot 3-pointer and a 1-foot running dunk. Golden State tied the game at 8 on a 25-foot 3-pointer from Draymond Green. The Warriors took their first lead at 10-8 on a Gui Santos layup. Denver regained the lead and led 32-28 after the first quarter, thanks to 12 points from DeMar DeRozan and eight from Jokic. DeRozan made a 22-foot 3-pointer, a 15-foot pullup jumper and a 10-foot driving floating jump shot in the period. Jokic added a 5-foot layup and a 6-foot driving floating jump shot. Golden State stayed close with 3-pointers from Podziemski, Green, Gary Payton and Al Horford. Lendeborg made a running layup and two free throws late in the quarter. The Warriors shot 11 of 22 from the field in the first quarter but turned the ball over five times.

Golden State took control in the second quarter. Georges Niang hit two 3-pointers in the first 47 seconds of the period to give the Warriors a 34-32 lead. Niang’s second 3-pointer came off a Curry assist. Gary Payton made a tip shot and a 3-foot layup to push the lead to 38-34. Curry hit a 24-foot 3-pointer to make it 41-36. Denver’s Christian Braun made two jumpers, and Murray made a 15-foot two-point shot to give Denver a 42-41 lead. Marvin Bagley made two free throws to extend the Nuggets’ lead to 44-41. But Golden State responded with a 14-4 run. Brandon Williams hit a 26-foot 3-pointer, Horford hit a 26-foot 3-pointer and Lendeborg made a 23-foot 3-pointer and a two-point shot. Podziemski added a 23-foot 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 55-52 lead. Lendeborg made a running layup and a free throw to send Golden State into halftime with a 60-56 advantage. Lendeborg had 17 points and seven rebounds at the break. Curry added 12 points in the first half. Denver’s Jokic had 12 points, five rebounds and six assists at halftime, while Murray had 10 points. The Warriors outscored Denver 32-24 in the second quarter.

The third quarter was the decisive stretch. Golden State outscored Denver 40-28 in the period, turning a four-point halftime lead into a 100-84 cushion. Curry opened the quarter with a driving layup and later hit a 27-foot 3-pointer. Podziemski added a 3-foot layup, and Lendeborg made two free throws to cap a 7-0 run that made it 71-60. Denver’s Murray hit a 26-foot 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 71-63, but Golden State answered with a 20-7 run. Curry made a two-point shot, three free throws and a 22-foot step-back jumper. Lendeborg made two free throws, a driving layup and a 1-foot dunk. Horford added a 14-foot jumper. The Warriors made 15 of 22 shots in the third quarter, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Curry scored 14 points in the quarter, Lendeborg added 10 and Podziemski had eight. Denver’s Jokic tried to keep pace with eight points in the quarter, but the Nuggets could not match Golden State’s shooting. DeRozan added seven points in the third, including a 24-foot 3-pointer and a 12-foot turnaround jumper.

Denver never threatened in the fourth quarter. Lendeborg put an exclamation point on his night with a 1-foot dunk off a Melton assist that made it 119-99 with 4:36 remaining. Horford hit a 23-foot 3-pointer, and Santos added a 25-foot 3-pointer that extended the lead to 122-101. Rookie LJ Cryer hit two 3-pointers in the final two minutes for Golden State, and Graham Ike added a 26-foot 3-pointer. Denver’s DeMar DeRozan led the Nuggets with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. Jokic finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks in 35 minutes. Murray had 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes. Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and three rebounds for Denver. Christian Braun had nine points and four rebounds. Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Gui Santos had 13 points and three rebounds. Al Horford added 11 points and three rebounds. The Warriors shot 52.9 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from 3-point range. Denver shot 45.7 percent overall and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Golden State held a 52-44 rebounding advantage and scored 60 points in the paint. The Warriors also had 32 assists on 48 made baskets. Denver had 28 assists on 41 made baskets. Golden State next visits Minnesota on Wednesday, while Denver travels to New Orleans on Wednesday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Denver Nuggets 119, Golden State Warriors 110. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Denver with a 90.6 percent probability to win. Denver had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -7.5. The total score of 248 went under the over/under line of 236.5.