The Golden State Warriors were without their star players on Sunday afternoon as they hosted the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were set to face off against the Dubs without Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, or Draymond Green — the odds weren't quite in the Warriors' favor, to say the least.

Ultimately, the Warriors said, 'Forget the odds,' as their nine healthy players outdueled the three-time MVP and earned an incredible win, 128-117. They shot incredibly from all over the court, and were led by a trio of great performances between Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski, and De'Anthony Melton.

After the game, Kerr showered praise on the Warriors for the victory and talked specifically about how well Horford handled the assignment.

"Al was fantastic. The spacing with him popping and knocking down shots early, I thought that really set a good. I think we hit 15 threes in the first half, and then we went cold in the third. But the spacing and the ball movement was really good and Al was a big part of that."

Horford finished with 22 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks while shooting 8-11 from the field and 6-7 from three — undoubtedly his best game of the season in multiple ways. To do all of that while guarding Jokic on many of the possessions at 39 years old is nothing short of spectacular.

Horford and the Warriors likely didn't come into the season expecting to need his services as a primary option on offense, but injuries will do that to a team. Thus, it's been a pleasant surprise to see that the veteran big man still has enough in the tank to lead the Warriors to a win every now and then.

This game versus the Nuggets marks the third time in the past three weeks that Horford has stepped up with Curry sidelined to captain the Warriors to victory.

Before the All-Star break, Horford scored 16 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists in a comeback victory over the Grizzlies. In the fourth quarter alone, Horford was +14 and made some key plays in clutch possessions.

Just a few days before that, Horford had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in the Warriors' win over the Suns. Horford was a key part of another big comeback, once again recording a +14 in just the fourth quarter and cashing in clutch buckets help the Warriors.

Horford has been getting healthier as the season goes on, now having played at least 26 minutes in 5 of the last 6 games after only reaching that mark four times in his first 30 games played this year.

When Curry comes back, Horford will likely slide back to being a tertiary scorer and defensive anchor, but it's great to see how valuable he can still be in many different roles.