In the loss, Steven Adams secured his All*Star selection with 19 points, 18 rebounds, with Mike Muscala dropping 18 also. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points with 6 assists, whereas Chris Paul struggled for just 12 points & 7 assists.
In Denver, Bol Bol had 24 points, 10 rebounds in a stellar outing but Nikola Jokic (6-15 FG) was quiet with 15 points, 13 rebounds. Jerami Grant had a solid 14 points, 12 rebounds but Jamaal Murray shot 3-10, with Michael Porter, Jr & Monte Morris combining to shoot 5-18.
Meanwhile, the Spurs crushed the Nuggets in the 1st & 3rd Quarters, 29-22 and 33-19 to pull away. Fred VanVleet hit three long range bombs for 17 points with 3 steals, seconded by Brandon Ingram's 15 points. Thomas Bryant had a quick-and-easy 15 points, 11 rebounds. Dejounte Murray dished 7 assists with 13 points, with Joe Harris & P.J. Tucker combining for 24 points and going 4-4 from 3PT territory.
A rivalry now in the rear view, the Warriors made things fun as Andrew Wiggins eventually got to a good showing with 23 points (10-19 FG) & Steph Curry dropped 22 points with 11 assists (7-20 FG, 3-12 3PT) in what was far from the Curry of old. Klay Thompson continues to struggle against the Spurs, with just 13 points (6-12). The Spurs won all four quarters: 28-22, 25-24, 24-22 & 31-28.
In the win, Dejounte Murray got top marks with 28 points, 6 assists & 4 steals, shooting 13-16 overall. Brandon Ingram was not far behind him, notching 22 points. Down low, Andre Drummond dominated the basketball with 17 points, 24 rebounds. Luka Samanic had a nice 13 points.
