The Spurs contained the paint plus a brief mid-range space and dominated the boards, taking first blood within the miniseries with the Nuggets and getting their sixth highway win of the yr. Victor Wembanyama overcame foul hassle to file 35 factors and 18 rebounds. And this recreation featured seven ties and 13 lead adjustments, seven within the fourth quarter.
“Each time that they had us on the ropes, I assumed we sort of composed ourselves and fought ourselves again into the sport, which was good to see,” coach Mitch Johnson stated after the sport.
The Spurs had Nuggets coach Michael Malone angrily pacing the sidelines 5 minutes in as they dashed to a 17-8 lead. However the hosts powered up because the quarter went on, recovering as Wembanyama rested. The Spurs D couldn’t include Nikola Jokić, and when he took his break, Michael Porter Jr. picked up the slack with a pair of jumpers and a block.
The primary quarter ended with the Spurs up 32 – 30. Then Wemby’s jumper began falling from lengthy vary, plus Keldon Johnson added three baskets, swinging the benefit again to San Antonio. Malone referred to as a timeout, and the hosts combined in a zone with man-to-man protection that slowed down the Spurs. Nonetheless, San Antonio’s protection was stingier, holding Denver to 37 p.c capturing for the body.
Regardless of capturing 30 p.c from deep, the Spurs led at halftime 60-52. They’d the sting in factors within the paint 30-26, had been forward in second-chance factors 8-2 and led on the break 11-5. Wemby had 22 factors on 9 of 12 pictures however the concern was that he picked up three fouls. And Denver was answerable for the block occasion, racking up 6-1.
Then the Spurs got here out after halftime snug, like a boxer who had constructed a pleasant lead on the playing cards by six rounds, however the Nuggets clapped again with an 11-4 run, forcing Johnson to pause the motion. When the sport continued, each groups began buying and selling baskets, resembling two fighters lastly letting their fingers go.
Wembanyama needed to sit together with his 4 fouls seven minutes into the third. When Zach Collins got here in, the workforce outscored the hosts 10-9. Many of the injury suffered within the interval was from Jokić, who scored simply.
The fourth quarter began with the Spurs down 90-87. They capitalized within the 4 minutes Jokić took his relaxation as a result of Wembanyama, who had picked up his fifth foul, splashed two triples and Harrison Barnes plus Tre Jones made baskets.
With two minutes left, the Spurs had been down 5 when Julian Champagnie made a triple, Wemby faked a 3 and hit Keldon Johnson within the lane for a basket and one, Chris Paul rescued a useless possession with a buzzer beating drive for a layup, and the Spurs had been up 1 with 17 seconds left. Denver obtained the ball to Jokic, the Spurs doubled him, and when he handed out, Vassell ran in a pick-6 to shut Denver’s coffin.
The Spurs gained 113-110, outscoring Denver in three pivotal classes: 52-48 in factors within the paint, 15-14 on the break and 15-10 on second probability factors.
When requested what was the distinction, Malone stated, “We simply didn’t shut… We misplaced Champagnie on the baseline for a 3, we gave up a three-point play to Keldon Johnson and clearly that final play, we weren’t capable of get a shot off.”
Play of the sport
Devin Vassell took Jokić off the dribble and completed a two handed jam in between two Nuggets to tie the sport in crunch time.
Takeaways:
The Spurs’ half-court assault was halted to 90.8 factors per 100 performs, adequate for the thirty third percentile of the stat in all video games performed this season, per Cleansing the Glass. They spent 74.4 p.c of their performs within the half court docket.
The workforce set a brand new season low in free throw share (61.5) and solely tried 13.
The workforce did an excellent job on Jamal Murray, bothering his dribble. The protection additionally got here up massive within the fourth quarter, holding the Nuggets to 29.2 p.c capturing and 6 straight misses to begin. The workforce locked and trailed effectively and contested pictures promptly.
Three of Wemby’s seven turnovers had been from lazy passes. The opposite giveaways had been from getting the ball poked free. The remainder of the workforce had six turnovers, and no person had multiple.
Wembanyama’s 14 of twenty-two baskets got here from brief, mid and lengthy vary. This was his second-highest evening in effectivity this season and the third time to interrupt 60 p.c from the sector.
Champagnie and Johnson had been the massive weapons off the bench, combining for 31 factors on 12 of 25 makes an attempt. Most of their manufacturing got here within the first half. Tre Jones and Collins had been the one different reserves to play they usually totaled six factors.
Jokić solely obtained a Sombor double (one level, rebound or help shy of a triple-double), and he was held to his season low in subject objective share (41.7). Wemby and Collins did a pleasant job of taking part in him bodily.
