The Denver Nuggets pulled off a triumphant win against the Golden State Warriors on Friday to improve their record to 6-2 on the season, tied for third-best in the competitive Western Conference. 

Just about the entire Nuggets team stepped up for the win, particularly when it came to the bench. A starting five led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were dominant as usual with Jokic turning in a game-leading 26 points and Murray close behind with 23, but the strength of the Nuggets extends far beyond the reach of just their two star players. 

Denver outscored Golden State handily in all four quarters, but the game was truly decided by the second, when Denver embarked on a 10-0 run to open the quarter. The Nuggets on the court during that run were led by Murray, but another crucial performance came from Jonas Valančiūnas, who relieved Jokic to start the quarter. Valančiūnas finished the game with 16 points in 16 minutes.

"I thought the group that came in when they went on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter, that group was really incredible. They were the reason why we won the game, the 19-3 run," Denver head coach David Adelman said. "Jonas [Valančiūnas] was great."

A team that can put together winning combinations with every player on the call sheet is a team that sets themselves up for success, and that's exactly what the Nuggets are capable of. 

It's not only the offense that took off for Denver, but the defensive end as well. Denver held Golden State to their second-lowest point total of the season and that effort came from players both in the starting five and coming off the bench.

"The defense picked up with Peyton [Watson]; Jamal [Murray] got going. So, it was just good to see a different combination of players that don’t usually play together, play well together."

The momentum that Denver generated early in the game was enough to carry them through to the end, giving them both the physical and psychological advantage over the Warriors. Not only were they playing overwhelming basketball, they were playing clean basketball and refusing to make any mistake that the Warriors could hope to take advantage of. 

"Just a professional win overall," Adelman said. "A lot of guys did small things on both ends. I thought Bruce [Brown] was great defensively.

"Like I said, I thought Peyton was [great defensively]. Tim [Hardaway Jr.], just the threat of him out there. The starters obviously, they’ve been good every night. Yeah it was a ball movement win, 34 assists, only nine turnovers. Just a professional win."

Denver is shaping up to be one of the most formidable teams in the league. They have the benefit of one of the best players in the league on their team in Jokic, of course, but the depth of their roster and the connectivity they're able to play with makes their brand of basketball one that few teams have answers to.