The Golden State Warriors were carried home by a rising young guard in the fourth quarter — but it was the calm, unflappable shooting stroke of 39-year-old Al Horford that set the tone for one of the most jaw-dropping wins in recent NBA memory.
With Golden State missing its top four stars — Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Draymond Green — the Warriors leaned on veteran poise, lethal spacing, and breakneck pace to deliver a stunning 128–117 upset victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at Chase Center.
At the absolute center of the chaos? Al Horford — who turned back the clock in the most spectacular fashion and literally rewrote the NBA history books.
According to Polymarket Hoops, the 39-year-old big man became the oldest center in NBA history to drain five three-pointers in a single first half. He didn’t just hit them — he ignited the Warriors’ offense like a flamethrower, building a lead the Nuggets could never touch.
Horford’s Early Barrage Was Straight-Up Ruthless Inserted into the starting lineup after Green was scratched late with lower back soreness, Horford came out firing like it was 2018 all over again.
He splashed two threes in the first 76 seconds, forcing Denver to scrap their entire defensive scheme on the spot. By the end of the first quarter he had three triples. Then he added two more in the second quarter, punishing the Nuggets every single time they sagged off him.
“Once I realized I had to start, I just needed to bring energy and knock those shots down early,” Horford said postgame, smiling like a man who knew he’d just broken the game wide open. “We wanted to play with pace, move the ball, and keep it fast. That was the key.”
The numbers are insane: 17 points in just 14 first-half minutes, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and a ridiculous 5-of-6 from three. That outburst already topped his previous season-high of 16 points… in an entire game. By halftime, the Warriors had rained down 15 threes, shredding Denver’s defense with ball movement and spacing nobody saw coming from such a depleted roster.
Steve Kerr Couldn’t Stop Gushing “Al was fantastic,” the Warriors head coach said. “The spacing he created — popping out and knocking those shots down early — set the tone for everything. Even when we went cold in the third, the ball movement and spacing stayed elite, and Al was a massive part of that.”
Horford finished the night with a season-high six three-pointers, 22 points, and 7 assists — helping Golden State snap a two-game skid and notch their most shocking upset of the entire season.
He Locked Down on Defense, Too This wasn’t just an offensive masterclass. On the other end, Horford stood tall against the league’s most unstoppable force. The Nuggets shot a miserable 6-of-17 when he was the primary defender and he contested 13 shots, including seven from deep.
The sciatic nerve issue that had bothered him earlier? Long gone. Horford looked fresh, locked in, and ready for war.
Even Nikola Jokić — who still dropped a monster 35-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist triple-double — felt the pain. Horford’s floor-stretching gravity dragged Jokić out of the paint, opening driving lanes for Golden State’s guards all night long.
Denver Was Completely Caught Off Guard Nuggets head coach David Adelman admitted the last-second lineup change threw his team into total confusion. “That was confusing,” Adelman said. “Obviously, the game plan was very different.”
By the time Denver adjusted, the Warriors had already run away with the game.
Veterans + Youth = Pure Chaos for Denver While Brandin Podziemski delivered the knockout punch with a monster fourth quarter, the foundation of this masterpiece belonged to Al Horford’s ice-cold shooting, elite spacing, and veteran leadership.
In a season full of surprises, this one might take the cake: the Warriors didn’t just survive without their stars — they thrived, blending old-school experience with young firepower to topple a championship contender.
For one unforgettable night, Golden State reminded the entire NBA exactly why you never, ever count out the big man.
HE DID IT. The 39-year-old center just delivered the most shocking upset of the season — and rewrote the history books in the process.
Al Horford, ladies and gentlemen. The Big Man delivered.