SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors and Nuggets came into this season with a shared goal — try to return to the NBA Finals and prevent an Oklahoma City takeover of the West.

The last two non-OKC West teams to win the title (Warriors in 2022, Nuggets in 2023) shared the floor Thursday and, not surprisingly, delivered compelling basketball that required an extra period.

In the end, the difference-making player was certainly no surprise: Stephen Curry came through in a big way late, diminishing a 50-piece by Aaron Gordon and – for now anyway – gave Golden State an edge over one of the projected contenders in the West.

This is just the start, though, for a conference with a lot to offer. If the next seven months are like this …

Phew. Here are four takeaways from the Warriors’ 137-131 overtime w

See Full Page