Golden State leaned on 30 points from Stephen Curry and a crucial late 15-point cameo from Gary Payton II to seal a pulsating 102-98 victory over reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Klay Thompson added 15 points, and Andrew Wiggins had 12. Jordan Poole, who built off his hot finish to the regular season in the first three playoff games, again struggled as the Nuggets applied more pressure to the third-year guard. He scored just eight points in 26 minutes, going 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point territory.
The Warriors will face the matchup winner between the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
