The Denver Nuggets continued their winning streak as they picked up two from the Spurs within three days. It was closer than the Nuggets would have wanted with sloppy play on both sides, but the clutch’s loose shot sealed it. Denver scored 18 times for 30 Spurs points. Nikola Jokic secured another triple-double as he gave up 26 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds. Denver won their eighth consecutive game, which is the longest win in eight years
Denver started the game with confident shooting when Jokic sank an open try to put the Nuggets on the board. The Spurs responded with a dunk from Jakob Poeltl, but the Nuggets continued to shoot when MPJ followed a mid-range jumper, followed by an Aaron Gordon try for the 8-2 lead. Keldon Johnson answered the Nuggets run with some nice drives past Nugget defenders, including an effective euro move.
Facu brought in intense defensive energy in the 1st quarter as he continued to pester the Spurs guards. He not only brought it to the defense, but he also offended others. He threw his patented one arm shot to Porter Jr. for a wide open try that affects an effect on tracks. Nuggets led 15-10 and were 9-11 off the field.
Denver’s big ball movement showed when the Spurs tried to double Jokic late, so he played hot potato with PJ Dozier for an open try. Nuggets helped in the first quarter with all 8 of their field goals until 3 p.m. The Spurs apparently did not get the memo that Jokic had eyes in the back of his head, and so they kept showing the late double team, but Jokic kept kicking it out to open three-point shooters. By the end of the 1st quarter, Jokic is counting his 500th steal leading to a Millsap lineup in transition.
Denver started bouncing back the quarter, while Lonnie Walker missed Will Barton for a try. At that point, the Nuggets were 7-11 from deep and extended their lead 39-26. Denver’s defensive energy continued throughout the bench as PJ thwarted a Spurs investigation that resulted in a Barton layoff plus the offense. It looks like the Nuggets are coming out in transition at some point, and it certainly helped that San Antonio missed shots.
Possibly the most exciting part of the game came from a Morris-McGee screen and rolled where JaVale absolutely posted two Spurs. The crowd erupted and was again rewarded with a try from Campazzo to extend the lead to 16. The Spurs kept fighting when Drew Eubanks hit a nice Kareem sky hook for two. It seems to be setting the Spurs on fire because they were actively trying to drive the paint in, to dish up others and make mistakes.
Nikola Jokic was in conflict with the referees because he committed a technical foul after a Nuggets turnover. DeMar Derozen was the former catalyst for the Spurs when he helped Lonnie Walker reduce the score to 54-44. San Antonio apparently drove their momentum after the Jokic technique, but Jokic responded with an assist and a floating lineup after a timeout in Denver. In the final seconds of the first half, Michael Porter Jr. rode high in the air for an amazing setback that on the other hand led to a Morris try. The Spurs would respond with a last second beating Dejounte Murray by three.
The Nugget’s leading scorers in the half were MPJ and Jokic tied with 12 points, while DeRozan led the Spurs by 11. And yes, again, Nikola Jokic with no release attempts.
San Antonio started the second half with a sloppy possession, but Denver endowed them with a Poeltl layup. Aaron Gordon then showed off his post when he dropped a hook on Keldon Johnson. Spurs increased their defensive intensity as they selected a Jokic pass resulting in a Dejounte Murray imposition and a foul to reduce the lead to eight. Denver’s defensive effort was not the same to start the second half as Murray scored seven straight for the Spurs. San Antonio relentlessly got to the edge and forced a Nugget timeout.
After the timeout, Jokic missed a driver, but Facu picked him up on the other side and took on the defensive, leading to a Will Barton ride and scoring two points. Derrick White would respond with a try for his ninth point, and Rudy Gay followed through with a try of his own, which cut Denver’s lead to six. Jokic finally got his first release attempts of the match at the point of 5:34 in the 3rd in which he both sank.
PJ Dozier stops a Spurs 14-6 run with an aggressive drive for two and an offense, but he will miss the free throw. The defense of Denver’s home defense dismantled because it looked like the Spurs were making a foul or a foul, almost every time on the floor. The Nuggets struggled to score, but a Porter cut for a layup plus the offense would ignite offensive energy. PJ Dozier really helped the Nuggets curb Spurs momentum as he played an effective defense and cut for easy layups. Monte Morris also helped a little energy when he hit two tries and a drive to increase Denver’s lead to thirteen.
The Nuggets finished the quarter with a 17-5 run for a 96-83 lead, and Jokic recorded another triple-double as he had 20 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds to finish third.
Rudy Gay turned the clock back to his Memphis days when he started the 4th quarter with his third try of the game. JaVale provided energy to start the 4th. He had seven rebounds in seven minutes, and Derrick White had a good block. Will Barton set the offensive tone with some set-up to worry Spurs’ home defense. Gregg Popovich showed his genius when San Antonio went to a full court press, leading to stagnant Denver offense and multiple turnovers, which necessitated a timeout and a furious Michael Malone.
Nugget’s lead was four at 100-96 when Barton followed the exit with a try from a Jokic assist. Jokic darkened Poeltl on the other side, and Poeltl bounced back his missed free throw for a crushing two points. Nikola responds by showing his wave of post moves for a nice hook shot to bring Nugget’s lead to 111-103 at eight. After a setback from the Porter that ensured his double doubling, Jokic helped Morris give an open triangle to the Nuggets.
Popovich’s timeout was effective as Derrick White hit a triangle, and Keldon Johnson hit on a drive to reduce Denver’s lead to six. It was a nervous time in Ball Arena after White struck another try, but Morris responded by driving to the edge affecting a Poeltl goal kick. With thirty seconds left, the score was 118-115 as White drove to the cup for another lineup. The Spurs were forced to cross, so they sent a free-kick in Will Barton to the line and he both took a 120-117 lead. After the timeout, Barton White darkened and sent him to the line where he hit both free kicks. The pollution continued to plague Porter Jr. to send the line for one free throw, and from the miss San Antonio misses their lineup in the transition and fails to secure the offensive rebound.
Nuggets won 121-119. Their next game will be at 1:00 MST in Denver against Boston.
State leaders
Marks: Nikola Jokic – 26
Assists: Nikola Jokic – 14
Rebounds: Nikola Jokic – 13
Player of the game: Nikola Jokic – 25 points, 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 2-2 from three and 9-17 from the field