Nuggets Pull Out Second Straight Win Over Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs sought to defeat the Denver Nuggets after losing the first part of a mini-series. Instead, they lost both games, with the second matchup being a 115-109 loss.
"It's definitely tough because they have motivation to win, especially losing the last game," Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said. "We knew they were going to come in here and give us a great effort, and that's what they did."
Much of the game featured each team trading baskets without putting it into a significant run. It wasn't until late in the third quarter that either team managed to establish a double-figure lead after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored at the 2:34 mark. Denver took a 93-82 lead — prompting the Spurs to call timeout to stop Denver's run.
The Spurs rallied back late and even held a few brief leads with their last being 105-104 with 4:06 remaining in regulation, but was outscored 11-4 for the remainder of the game. San Antonio encountered problems taking care of the basketball to close it out and only had three shot attempts compared to the Nuggets, who got up nine.
The struggles the Spurs experienced with turnovers weren't exclusive to clutch-time. They finished with 24 turnovers overall that resulted in 35 points off turnovers for the Nuggets.
"We just made some careless mistakes," Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. "We just have to be sharper, more on point, going backdoor, just listening to all the things Pop is telling us and just correct those things. It's definitely something we can fix."
Johnson led the way with 30 points and five rebounds but turned it over six times. The Spurs' next leading scorer was Josh Richardson, who had 22 points off the bench, but also had six turnovers. Tre Jones finished with 20 points and nine assists while Devin Vassell chipped in 17 points.
Denver was led by Nikola Jokic's 26 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter Jr. wasn't far behind in the scoring department with 24 of his own. Jamal Murray also provided 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
The Spurs return to action when they take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
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