Coming off a blowout win against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Spurs traveled to Denver for their last road game of the regular season. Victor Wembanyama returned from injury management. Both teams started the game blazing from the field, with the Spurs outscoring the Nuggets 43-36 in the first quarter. The pace continued in the second, as the Spurs took a seven-point lead into halftime. Denver chipped away at the Spurs’ lead in the third, and the lead shrank to four to start the fourth. The Spurs were
in a great position to close out the game multiple times late in the fourth.
With 1:39 remaining, the Spurs held a six-point lead. Then, Cam Johnson drained a three while being fouled by De’Aaron Fox to cut the lead back to two. After an alley-oop dunk by Devin Vassell, the lead grew back to four. However, after two Nikola Jokic free throws, the Spurs had a chance to clinch the game on their next offensive possession. After draining the clock, Fox missed a three-pointer, and the Nuggets called a timeout. Aaron Gordon tied the game with a dunk, and the Spurs had yet another chance to close out the game with a victory. Wemby put up a tough fallaway shot that grazed the rim, and the game went to OT. After some back-and-forth buckets, the Spurs had a chance to tie the game late. After Wemby stole the ball from Jamal Murray, Fox led the fastbreak. He then threw an errant pass to a cutting Vassell but quickly recovered the ball. Unfortunately, he missed a wide-open short jumper, and the Nuggets were fouled on the rebound. The Nuggets ultimately won 136-134 in OT.
Victor Wembanyama returned and dropped another MVP-type performance: 34 points (16-17 FT), 18 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and a steal. Wemby shot just under 50% from the game, but made up for it at the free-throw line. He dominated the paint defensively, aside from Jokic draining impossible jumpers. Wemby battled a contender and did not blink. In his last three games, he is averaging 38.7 points per game, 17.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 blocks. If it wasn’t for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic having MVP seasons in their own right, Wemby would be the favorite. Look for him to use this game as fuel for his confidence heading into his first playoffs.
UFO APPROACHING! Stephon Castle finds a cutting Wemby on the alley-oop slam for the AREA 51 connection!
RIDICULOUS! Wemby is guarded tightly as he hurls a skip pass to an open Harrison Barnes for the corner three!
Another drive, another dime! Wemby drives in on Tim Hardaway Jr., attempts a fadeaway, but then changes his mind at the last second for a tough reverse layup for HB!
UNSTOPPABLE! Wemby powers through Murray and skies for the colossal slam!
Stephon Castle dropped 20 points (9-17 FG), nine assists, and five rebounds. Steph started the game guarding Murray, but after picking up two quick fouls, Mitch Johnson had him guard Christian Braun instead. The result: a career-high five threes on a career-high 11 attempts. Granted, Steph wasn’t responsible for all of the open threes, but regardless, it was not his usual defensive game. Nonetheless, Steph nearly garnered a double-double and drained middies, and earned tough and-one opportunities.
AND-ONE JUMPER! Steph absorbs the contact from Gordon and drains the midrange jumper for the and-one!
AREA 51 x2! Steph lobs it up from the three-point line to a high-flying Wemby, who slams it home!
HEART AND HUSTLE! Steph created two more offensive possessions thanks to his hustle on the boards, and he gets rewarded with a putback bucket!
Devin Vassell dropped 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block. Dev started the game with a laser three and dropped clutch buckets to end the fourth. Although, like Steph, he would sometimes lose track of Denver’s open shooters. He still stepped up when the team needed an offensive spark, which is exactly what this team needs heading towards the postseason.
Sniper! Dev knocks down an early three!
Clutch finger roll! On the fastbreak, Dev takes the points while driving in and finishing with a finger roll!
CLUTCH DUNK! Wemby leads the fastbreak and finds a cutting Dev for the alley-oop slam!
Julian Champagnie dropped 18 points (6-9 3PT), five rebounds, and two assists. Julian was on fire from three. Denver decided to have Jokic covering him, which in turn allowed Julian to take open threes and allowed him to drive past him to the cup. Unfortunately, some of those drives turned into missed shots and a blocked dunk. Nonetheless, Julian eclipsed Danny Green for the franchise record for most threes in a season for the Spurs with 192!
All in all, this game was much needed for the Spurs. Whether they won or lost, it is important for this young team to encounter a contender right before the playoffs start. The game itself felt like a playoff game, where every single shot or mistake changed the outcome late. Everything is magnified in a hostile environment, and while some players stepped up, some faltered. For example, Keldon Johnson, Castle, and Fox all shot a combined 0-16 from three. Luckily, that is not likely to happen again. The perimeter defense will have to step up as the teams get tougher. With one week remaining in the regular season, the Spurs will look to close the season on a high note, with a rematch against the Nuggets on April 12th.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at 7:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.
