"Asked before Monday's game to identify the Denver Nuggets' best player, Warriors coach Keith Smart said, "The Denver Nuggets."

He wasn't kidding.

Ever since Denver traded star Carmelo Anthony, it has won with incredible balance.

The Warriors got a firsthand look at that in a 134-111 loss at Pepsi Center, as J.R. Smith scored 22 points to lead nine Nuggets in double figures.

"They have starters that are intact and then you have guys that will come off the bench and they can do just as well as the starters," Smart said.

Denver is 18-6 since the Feb. 22 trade that sent Anthony to New York. During that time, nine players have led the Nuggets in scoring.

"They're one of the top talented teams in the league from top to bottom," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "It's tough to prepare for them because everybody can go off on any night. Tonight, all of them were kind of equal."

The Warriors countered with Curry and Dorell Wright, who each had 27 points in the absence of leading scorer Monta Ellis, whose season is over after he suffered a Grade 2 concussion Sunday against Sacramento.

Curry and Wright kept the Warriors in the game for a while. It was tied at halftime.

"We did a very, very good job of managing the game and the guys did the right things for the most part through the half to keep the game close," Smart said."