San Antonio, Denver and Cleveland all strengthened playoff positions on Monday night, as the San Antonio Spurs handled the Philadelphia 76ers, the Denver Nuggets pulled off another late rally against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived a record-tying 3-point barrage from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Spurs victory also came with concern, as Victor Wembanyama left early because of bruised ribs, while Nikola Jokic powered Denver with a huge triple-double, and Cleveland dominated the interior to offset Memphis hot shooting from beyond the arc in another busy NBA night.
San Antonio beat Philadelphia 115-102, but Wembanyama played only 16 minutes after taking an accidental elbow to the ribs from Paul George early in the second
quarter, briefly returning before heading to the locker room with 44 seconds left in the half and then being ruled out for the rest of the game.
Before the injury ended the night, Wembanyama had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks, yet the focus quickly shifted to award eligibility, because including this game Wembanyama had appeared in 63 official contests plus the NBA Cup final, and still needed at least 20 minutes in one of the San Antonio Spurs final three games to reach the 65-game threshold for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA voting.
While Wembanyama has spoken openly about chasing the league MVP award, the short-term outcome helped the team record, as the Spurs improved to 60-19, securing their first 60-win season since 2016-17 and staying alive in the race for the Western Conference top seed, still mathematically able to catch the 62-16 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephon Castle drove the result once Wembanyama sat, producing 19 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to lead San Antonio in all three categories, with support from Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet, and the San Antonio Spurs reserves overwhelmed the Philadelphia bench 50-18, while the 76ers slipped to 43-36 and fell a half-game behind the sixth-place Toronto Raptors, dropping into a play-in position despite Joel Embiid delivering 34 points, 12 rebounds and a 16-of-19 night at the free-throw line.
Looking ahead, the San Antonio Spurs next faced a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and Wembanyama risked becoming ineligible for major awards if any further absence or limited minutes stopped the total from reaching the league minimum, raising questions about how San Antonio might balance long-term health with individual honours during the closing stretch of the NBA schedule.
NBA comeback win and San Antonio Spurs context for Denver Nuggets
In Denver, the Nuggets beat Portland 137-132 in overtime after trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter, extending their winning streak to nine games with a performance that closely mirrored Saturday’s comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, when Denver also overturned a double-digit deficit and forced overtime before finishing strongly.
Nikola Jokic again controlled the game, ending with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, plus five steals and two blocks, and with help from 23 points by Aaron Gordon and 20 from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets moved to 51-28, nudging a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for third place in the Western Conference playoff race.
Denver needed late plays to reach overtime, as Gordon hit two important jumpers in the final minutes of regulation to give the Nuggets a narrow edge before Deni Avdija drove for a tying layup with 20 seconds left, after which Jokic missed at the buzzer, but Jokic and Murray either scored or assisted on every Denver field goal in the extra period, while Toumani Camara led Portland with 30 points and contributed to a franchise-record 25 made 3-pointers, with Avdija adding 26 points and seven assists.
NBA shooting record and San Antonio Spurs comparison for Cavaliers
The highest scoring game came in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers defeated Memphis 142-126 despite the Grizzlies matching an NBA record with 29 made 3-pointers, as Evan Mobley paced Cleveland with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and the win guaranteed the Cavaliers a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the first round.
Memphis had every player hitting from deep, with all nine Grizzlies who appeared making at least one 3-pointer to join the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks and last season’s Boston Celtics in the record books, while Adama Bal and Dariq Whitehead each knocked down six 3-pointers off the bench, Lucas Williamson added five, and the team finished 29-of-59 from long range, a 49.2% success rate.
Cleveland overcame the outside barrage through dominance near the basket and on the glass, outscoring Memphis 76-30 in the paint, winning the rebounding battle 48-31 and attempting 27 more free throws, and the result lifted the Cavaliers to 50-29, marking a third 50-win season in four years and keeping them one game behind the New York Knicks for the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, while the San Antonio Spurs and Nuggets victories added further shape to a crowded NBA playoff picture.
