San Antonio Spurs Overpowered by Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets in 12th Straight Loss
The defending champions were just too much for the youngest team in the NBA on Sunday night, as the Denver Nuggets used a 39-point performance from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic to blow past the San Antonio Spurs in a 132-120 win at Ball Arena.
The Spurs' (3-14) losing streak has now extended to 12 games during a season that brought with it tons of excitement due to rookie Victor Wembanyama. He reached the 20-point mark for the the third straight game in Sunday's loss while putting together an impressive defense effort, finishing with a team-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and a career-high six steals.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) guards in the second quarter at Ball Arena.
© Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY
However, Jokic - who had 11 rebounds and nine assists to go along with his season-high scoring effort - was dominant down low against a Spurs team that had no answer. The Spurs won the turnover battle, made more 3s, and had the edge in fastbreak points, but the Nuggets had 66 paint points and 38 assists to take hold of a game on a night where San Antonio was no slouch on offense.
Devin Vassell (19 points) and Tre Jones (10 points, six assists) had solid games off the bench while Malaki Branham had 15 points to help power the starting unit alongside Wembanyama.
The Nuggets got double-digit scoring efforts from Michael Porter Jr. (25 points, seven rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points, six assists), though it was Reggie Jackson (20 points, six rebounds, seven assists) who had the biggest impact outside of Jokic.
The Spurs will get their next chance to end the losing streak when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday at the Frost Bank Center.
