Warriors 131, Nuggets 117: Stephen Curry collected 30 points and 13 assists as visiting Golden State went to a small lineup and evened its first-round Western Conference series with Denver at a game apiece.

Jarrett Jack joined the starting lineup with David Lee (torn hip flexor) out and contributed 26 points and seven assists for the Warriors, who host Game 3 of the best-of-7 series Friday. Harrison Barnes added 24 points and Klay Thompson went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to 21 points as Golden State shot 64.6 percent from the floor.

Ty Lawson recorded 19 points and 12 assists and Corey Brewer scored 19 off the bench for the Nuggets, who lost at home for the first time since Jan. 18.

The Warriors began to make their move in the second quarter. It was knotted at 42 with 7:18 left in the half when Curry scored nine and Barnes added the other five during a 14-3 burst.

Golden State settled for a 61-53 lead at the break but quickly rushed out again in the third. Thompson and Barnes hit 3-pointers to highlight a 10-1 run and give the Warriors their biggest lead of the night to that point at 71-54.

Curry left the floor briefly after turning an ankle with 2:26 left in the third, but Golden State pushed right ahead and took a 96-80 advantage into the fourth. Curry returned to begin the final frame and proved the left ankle was sound by waving off a screen and going to his left to bury a 3-pointer.

Barnes provided the highlight of the period with a driving reverse dunk along the baseline and the Warriors did not let the lead slip to less than 10 points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The last Golden State player to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game was Sleepy Floyd with 51 and 10 on May 10, 1987, against the Lakers. … Nuggets F Kenneth Faried (ankle) missed Game 1 but returned to score four points in 21 minutes off the bench in Game 2. … Warriors F Dwayne Jones was signed on the final day of the regular season and made his first appearance in the final minute. … Golden State recorded its highest playoff shooting percentage in franchise history.