The San Antonio Spurs upset the weak Nuggets in Mile Excessive Denver, claiming the highest file in West Group C and giving them direct entry into the knockout rounds of Emirates Cup play. Everybody now owes Devin Vassell lunch after his clutch efficiency, and now the gamers have the chance for some further {dollars} as a result of advancing to the quarterfinal implies that every member will win a minimum of $53,093 in the event that they go no additional, and the two-way gamers get half of that.
Each groups got here out sizzling and there have been only a few misses early on. The great guys had been in a position to endure Jamal Murray’s first-quarter flurry as a result of De’Aaron Fox was discovering cutters and shooters. Then the bench chipped in with an environment friendly 13 factors whereas including 4 steals. San Antonio headed into the second up eight, and despite the fact that their threes weren’t actually falling, they put up probably the most the Nuggets have yielded in any quarter this season (41).
The Nuggets took the lead 4 minutes later because the Spurs misfired on a bevy of alternatives, and their offensive struggles continued till halftime as Denver gave them little area to function on choose and rolls. The hosts went on a 15-0 run, and it rapidly become a kind of nights they wished they’d Wemby to decelerate Jokic, as a result of the Serbian was dissecting the Spurs protection together with his savant-like passing.
San Antonio was down 15 factors after the Nuggets had their highest-scoring first half of the season (74). Sixteen of Denver’s 18 second-chance factors had been within the second quarter. The lid got here off the Spurs basket, and so they had been finally in a position to re-take the lead late within the third despite the fact that the Nuggets had been nonetheless on fireplace from deep, with seven treys.
Because the fourth quarter began with the Spurs down one, Vassell and Tim Hardaway Jr. began buying and selling 3-pointers. Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson received in on the motion, taking a two-point lead earlier than Jokić checked again in. The Nuggets had been within the bonus the final 4 minutes, however the Spurs had been bailed out by 4 Denver turnovers, Murray lacking a pivotal free throw with underneath two minutes left, and Vassell burying two 3-pointers late. The Spurs received 139-136, and had a 30 for 32 efficiency from the road to (and Devin) to thank for it.
