All-World Center Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets kept the Spurs at bay for the bulk of the game tonight in their win | Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports In the first of two games at the Moody Center in Austin, Denver showed off a playoff-ready complete game in defeating San Antonio Defending champion Denver (47-20) leveraged a 17-2 run in the first quarter and 18-5 push spanning the third and fourth quarters to put San Antonio (14-53) in a rut it could not escape from. The Nuggets weathered several runs from the Spurs in the second and third periods to claim an impressive 117-106 road win in Austin, Texas, and stay toe-to-toe with Oklahoma City for the top seed. Leading MVP candidate Nikola Jokic (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) shined brightest of the players tonight and was bolstered by Jamal Murray (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Michael Porter Jr. (13 points and 7 assists). Justin Holliday (13 points), Christian Braun (13 points and 2 steals), and Peyton Watson (10 points) contributed solid bench play for the Nuggets. Rookie Victor Wembanyama (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks) worked through a sluggish start to pace four Spurs in double-digit scoring, while Jeremy Sochan (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), Devin Vassell (17 points), and Zach Collins (13 points and 6 rebounds) supplied the bulk of the other scoring in defeat. In a dominant opening frame, Denver’s tall and talented frontline made life difficult for San Antonio on both ends. Jokic, Porter Jr., and Gordon got to any shot that they wanted in order to score the team’s first 24 points. The Spurs relied on their outside shooting to keep pace, but faded halfway through the period. The Nuggets leveraged 65+% field goal percentage on a dizzying array of paint buckets, while holding the Spurs to under 25% shooting, to surge ahead 37-18 after one. In the second quarter, Denver’s shooting reverted back to a reasonable mean, but their bench, behind Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, and Reggie Jackson, continued to apply pressure. While the Spurs steadied themselves behind their bigs - Wembanyama, Dominick Barlow, and Zach Collins - they were not able to dent the Nuggets advantage. Once San Antonio’s efffort started to match and sometimes exceed Denver’s levels, they found the necessary scoring to shave into the lead and go into the half down nine. Sochan and Vassell carried the offensive torch for San Antonio to start the third, while Jokic showed off his deft world-class touch in and around the paint and was intent to put away the less experienced opponent and garner his fellow starters some rest. However, Barlow and Collins impressed with their aggression and hustle, while Johnson’s heady forays to the basket helped the Spurs bite into the Nuggets’ lead. Though the Spurs got within two possessions late in the frame, a late three made it a 7-point game heading into the fourth. Observations - Sean Elliott noted “It’s hard to remember any bad shot that Denver has taken” in the waning minutes, and well, hard to argue with that.
- The ground-bound Jokic appeared to steal the opening tip, and Wembanyama responded by turning his shot away at the rim seconds later. It’s the little things.
- Bill Simmons brought guests Joe House and Wosny Lambre onto his BS Podcast to ‘draft’ the top worst contracts in the NBA today. Johnson surprisingly was drafted by Simmons. Unsurprisingly, Kawhi Leonard’s contract also made it onto the dubious list.
- Once Wembanyama figures out the timing and pace of these Western Conference frontcourt players (Sabonis, Davis, Jokic, etc.), his block, steal, and deflection totals will skyrocket. He was consistently off on contesting Jokic’s numerous dekes, feints, and ball-fakes.
- Sequence of the Game: Late in the first half, Wembanyama stripped a complacent Jokic in the paint, and Tre Jones found an open Champagnie for a transition three.
- Thinking ahead (and with glass half full), with soaring season ticket prices, the annual Rodeo Road Trip, and this slate of late-season games in Austin, it could make it more difficult to mount a meaningful home court advantage in future playoff pushes.
- Denver caught San Antonio napping from the onset, and netted their first seven points at the rim. Julian Champagnie’s two threes kept the Spurs at the Nuggets’ heels despite Wembanyama putting up a goose egg from the field. The Nuggets unfortunately turned on the jets with crisp Beautiful-game era execution, while ratcheting up the pressure on defense. After two Blake Wesley free throws, Denver ran a perfect fast-break drill for a soaring alley-oop and exited the first up 37-18.
- Dominick Barlow paired a tip-in and bankshot to start the second and the team benefitted from his motor. To show the stark difference in the teams’ efforts, after Wembanyama blocked away Christian Braun’s attempt, Zeke Nnaji wrested away the loose ball and kicked it out to an open Braun from three. While Wembanyama started to find his way on offense, the Nuggets were content to trade baskets. Wesley’s aggression and Vassell’s shotmaking helped the Spurs mount their first serious push late in the half and they went into the break down 49-58.
- A touchdown’s worth of points from Jeremy Sochan seemed to portend a great start for San Antonio in the third. A Vassell jumper brought the Spurs within five, but the team failed to get any closer, as Jokic decided to take the game into his own considerable hands. A pair of buckets from Johnson and Collins each did draw the Spurs closer, but the Nuggets converted a buzzer-beating three to head to the fourth up 86-79.
- Jamal Murray woke up from a game-long slumber with a flurry of buckets to help Denver extend its advantage and end any comeback hopes for San Antonio.
Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/3/ ... se-106-117