For much of the night, it felt like the San Antonio Spurs had everything under control. They played fast. They shot confidently. They built a commanding lead against one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams. But against the Denver Nuggets, even a 20-point cushion can disappear in a hurry.
San Antonio watched its lead slowly slip away Thursday night as Denver erupted in the fourth quarter, rallying past the Spurs for a 136-131 victory in a game that turned from promising to painful in the final minutes.
The Spurs came out energized despite missing star center Victor Wembanyama, who was out with ankle soreness. From the opening tip, San Antonio attacked the Nuggets with pace and ball movement, finding open shooters and pushing the tempo in transition.
By the end of the first quarter, the Spurs had seized control with a double-digit lead. The offense kept humming in the second quarter as San Antonio stretched the advantage to 20 points, bringing the home crowd to life and sending the team into halftime with a comfortable cushion. For three quarters, the Spurs looked poised to pull off an impressive win against the defending champions.
But the Nuggets were never going to go quietly.
Led by Nikola Jokić and the shot-making brillance of Jamal Murray, Denver began to chip away at the deficit. Jokić controlled the glass and orchestrated the offense while Murray caught fire from the perimeter, turning routine possessions into momentum-shifting buckets. The pressure finally broke through in the fourth quarter. Denver unleashed a barrage of scoring, pouring in 42 points in the final frame while the Spurs’ offense began to stall. A decisive run erased San Antonio’s remaining lead and flipped the game in Denver’s favor with just minutes left.
Despite the collapse, the Spurs had plenty of bright spots.
Guard Stephon Castle delivered the best performance of his young career, recording a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while orchestrating much of San Antonio’s offense throughout the night. De’Aaron Fox added 27 points and kept the Spurs within striking distance down the stretch, while Harrison Barnes chipped in 20 points with timely scoring in his return from a brief absence.
But against a veteran Denver squad, the Spurs simply ran out of answers late. In the end, what looked like one of San Antonio’s most impressive wins of the season turned into a frustrating reminder of how quickly momentum can swing in the NBA. The Spurs had the game in their hands for most of the night.
The Nuggets just took it away when it mattered most.
Game Notes
- Victor Wembanyama was listed as out before the game with ankle soreness. While some fans may get upset this could dampen his chances at postseason awards, but I much prefer him to be healthy at the start of the NBA playoffs.
- Keldon Johnson had a poor offensive night and could not really afford it with San Antonio missing their franchise player. He shot just 2-for-12 from the floor, scoring 5 points in 21 minutes.
- In games when KJ struggles, I would love to see Mitch opt to play Carter Bryant more. The rookie had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, but he only played just nine minutes.
- Speaking of Harrison Barnes, it was nice to see him return. He scored 20 points off the bench, further proving that moving him to the second unit was a genius move by the coaching staff.
