DENVER, Colorado - Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors, propelled by an NBA record 51-point first quarter, regained the top spot in the Western Conference by routing the Denver Nuggets 142-111 on Tuesday night.

Golden State cruised to a fifth straight win to move a half-game in front of the Nuggets, who had their 12-game home winning streak snapped.

The showdown between the top two teams in the conference proved a little too big for the Nuggets, with Curry and Company putting on a shooting exhibition all night long.

It began early, with the Warriors erupting for 51 points in the opening 12 minutes, breaking the old mark of 50 held by several teams. The last time it happened was also against Denver, when Phoenix scored 50 on Nov 10, 1990.

Golden State shot a blistering 60 percent from the field, had 38 assists and hit 21 3-pointers in leading wire-to-wire.

Kevin Durant finished with 27 points and Draymond Green was a plus 41 as he had 13 assists to go with four points.

Malik Beasley finished with 22 points for the Nuggets. Big man Nikola Jokic struggled with early foul trouble, finishing with 17 points and eight assists in 23 minutes.

Denver knocked off Golden State 100-98 in Denver on Oct 21.

Tuesday's score shows just how dominant the Warriors were in the opening half: Denver scored 60, shooting 49 percent from the floor, and still trailed by 19 at the break.

In pregame, the Nuggets deflected the notion this was a big game, but acknowledged it was an important gauge.

"You always want to measure yourself against the best, let's be honest," Denver coach Michael Malone said.

"That allows you to truly see where you're at and how much farther you have to go."

It didn't go well.

For the Warriors, the matchup was just business as usual.

"It doesn't mean anything until the end of the year," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "They all count."

Associated Press