San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets 'The Most Competitive Game', Says Gregg Popovich

The San Antonio Spurs lost a hard-fought game to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Apr 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) plays defense / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

As expected, the San Antonio Spurs fell to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Unexpectedly, the Spurs took the Nuggets to the final minute and put some pressure on one of the league's best teams on the road.

Without Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell, the Spurs led at five different points in the game and forced a Herculean 42-point, 16-rebound performance from Nikola Jokic. Victor Wembanyama went play-for-play with the Joker, recording 23 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and nine blocks.

The Spurs played 10 guys and Tre Jones recorded his third career triple-double. With three of the Spurs' best players out, the game went better than anyone could have expected, and the battles under the basket between Wembanyama and Jokic were some of the best basketball played this season across the league.

Apr 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) attempts a shot as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) goes for a block. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

"That's been one of the most competitive games that I've been a part of for many years," raved Gregg Popovich postgame. "For 48 minutes under difficult circumstances, these guys just played. They didn't worry about a call, a turnover, or whatever. They just went for the next play. So many people participated with the effort for 48 [minutes]."

After the game, Jokic was in awe of Wembanyama's defensive efforts, saying to Wemby during the game, "If you block one more shot, I'm going to...something."

After the game, Jokic joked, "He blocked like four after that, so I didn't do anything about it."

Jokic is the frontrunner to win the MVP award this season, but the effort exerted by the Spurs, including Wembanyama, just stands to remind fans that the Spurs are coming and will be a dominant force in the Western Conference in the coming seasons.