Nuggets split home-and-home series with Spurs

Non-Jokić minutes are a scary sight for Denver, as it was fatal for them Friday, but they overcame them in San Antonio on Saturday.

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-111 in overtime in the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday. Denver improved to 7-0 on the second leg of back-to-backs.

Friday’s Matchup

In their first matchup in Denver on Friday, the Nuggets fell short in the final moments of the game, with second-year Frenchman Victor Wembanyama denying Denver’s Nikola Jokić to secure the win. The battle was between the two seven-footers, with Wembanyama tallying 35 points and 18 rebounds, and Jokić recording a near triple-double with 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.

What was evident in the first game against the Spurs was the non-Jokić minutes. To start the fourth on Friday, Jokić took his usual start-of-quarter rest and the Nuggets proceeded to get outscored 9-2 losing their three-point lead. Jokić came back in with eight minutes remaining in the game.

The Nuggets then regained their lead, going up 108-103 with two minutes remaining. But an 8-2 run left the Nuggets down by one with 17 seconds remaining. With Wembanyama guarding Jokić, Wembanyama forced Jokić into a bad pass turnover. This lead to a breakaway dunk for the Spurs to go up three with one second remaining, leaving no time for the Nuggets to make a comeback.

Saturday’s Matchup

Not even 24 hours after the first game between the Nuggets and Spurs in Denver ended, their matchup in San Antonio tipped off.

Once again, it was a battle between Wembanyama and Jokić, with the Serb stuffing the stat sheet with 46 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. Wembanyama finished with a double-double himself, racking up 20 points and 23 rebounds.

After getting outscored 37-27 in the third quarter the Nuggets started the fourth quarter down 11 and subbed out Jokić for his usual start-of-quarter rest once again. However, this time around, non-Jokić minutes did not hurt Denver. The Nuggets outscored the Spurs 9-4 while Jokić was on the bench, cutting the 11-point deficit to five.

After back-and-forth play, when Jokić came back in, the Nuggets gained their first lead since the second quarter, going up 107-106 with 1:47 left to play after a Russell Westbrook three-point shot. Jokić then made one of his two free throws to extend the lead to two, but a tip-in by the Spurs' Devin Vassell tied the game with 14 seconds remaining. Jokić attempted a last-second shot but missed off the front of the rim, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Nuggets were tenacious on defense, allowing only three points and effectively locking down Wembanyama. Jokić scored nine of Denver’s 14 points in extra time, with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. each knocking down a couple of buckets to secure the win 122-111.

The Nuggets continue their season on Tuesday against the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first game of a three-game home stand. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. MT on TNT.