Benefiting by a cold shooting stroke for San Antonio, the Nuggets went up by ten points, 101-91, after recently acquired-JJ Redick hit a would-be 3PT dagger. But the perseverant Spurs would not say die, with their 14-game win streak on the line, sending the home crowd into a bonafide frenzy by the buzzer. "It sounds like a rock concert in here!" Kevin Harlan remarked on the sidelines, having witnessed quite the comeback by the home team.
The recipe for the comeback? Constant defense and consistent scoring. First, an otherwise chilly B.I. (12 points, 11 rebounds, 5/13) hit a 3PTer, followed up by Fred VanVleet's masterful stroke (42% avg) & then Andre Drummond (8 rebounds, 8 points, 5 steals, 2 blocks) caught a misfire and slammed it home (101-99). Denver would finally respond, as Nikola Jokic (22 points, 12 rebounds) hit a baseline jumper with 1:08 to play, yet it would be their final basket in the contest. Dejounte Murray (in an effort just two points shy of his career-high) hit two clutch free throws, then hit a layup to tie the score at 103 with .45 left on the clock VanVleet (20 points, 3-10 3PT, 3 steals) would carry the Spurs over the hump, his layup giving San Antone the two-point advantage, and Murray would hit the crescendo with a 3PTer to make it 103-108.
Ending the game on a 21-2 blitz, the Spurs now look ahead to the visiting OKC Thunder as the last challenge before All*Star Weekend with a tremendous feel-good victory tonight to celebrate, towering above the league with now their 50th win on the season, as the Nuggets conversely struggle to overstep the post-season threshold. B.I. got a highlight rejection on rookie Bol Bol (6 points, 8 rebounds), as did Johnathan Williams (6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) on a dunk attempt by Jokic.
The Rest:
A brush of good luck came in the form of Thomas Bryant only suffering a minor injury scare once entering the game, as the Spurs smartly took him out for the rest of the night. Medical staff says he'll be ready to go for the game against OKC, but the Spurs surely missed his scoring contributions. Kent Bazemore had 13 points, sparking a third-quarter resurgence (31-28, after Denver narrowly won the first half 48-46). The Nuggets would regain momentum, trailing just by one after the third quarter which made the near-upset possible. JJ Redick had 13 points, hitting 3-4 from long distance. Will Barton scored 12, as did prospect Michael Porter, Jr. Jamaal Murray had another quiet showing with just 10 points & 8 assists. Anything more, and Denver likely would've hung on tonight for the upset.
