Nikola Jokic did everything and more Friday night. The help he needed was nowhere to be found.
The San Antonio Spurs snapped the Nuggets’ five-game winning streak, pulling away in the fourth quarter with a 119-109 win. The loss ruined what would’ve been just the second 5-0 road trip in team history. Now 11-8, the Nuggets will look to build a new streak when they host Utah on Sunday.
The Nuggets trailed 104-100 with 6:14 remaining when ugly, uncharacteristic sloppiness took over. Eight turnovers in the fourth quarter alone undermined their chance at a comeback despite Jokic’s extra effort. He scored 23 of his 35 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers, along with 10 rebounds and five assists.
But at the end of an eight-day road trip, the Nuggets’ defense betrayed them.
“You want your defense to be at its best down the stretch, and we weren’t able to get stops,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Jamal Murray, who appeared hobbled in the fourth quarter, finished with 20 points and seven assists and an untimely turnover late.
“It wasn’t even offense (at the end),” Murray said. “They’re a good team. Let’s not get it twisted. Those are the San Antonio Spurs with Gregg Popovich. You go through the film. They are moving the ball.”
Sniper Michael Porter Jr. had just nine points off the bench in 19 minutes.
“Overall, hell of a road trip, 4-1, going home,” Malone said. “The schedule is unforgiving. We go home and we play Utah on Sunday afternoon after a long road trip, changing multiple time zones, and you follow that up with a back-to-back. So, we appreciate that.”
The Spurs got exemplary guard play from their backcourt, with DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray combining for 56 points. Together, they paced a 54% shooting night from the Spurs.
Down 10 early in the third quarter, the Nuggets looked sluggish and spent. Fatigue appeared to be catching up to them. Then Jokic came alive. Two 3-pointers on one end, a block and a steal on the other, and suddenly the Nuggets had momentum.
While Jokic carried most of the offensive burden, aided by several key baskets from Murray and a huge 3-pointer from Gary Harris, the Nuggets finally began to defend. In total, they blocked three shots and swiped three more in the third, sawing into the deficit and entering the fourth down just 87-86.
Jokic finished with 14 of Denver’s 31 in the third.
Despite their winning streak, Malone noticed an unwelcome trend where his guys were bypassing open looks.
“I think Jamal is passing up shots, and I think we, as a team in general, are passing up shots,” Malone said before the game. “Against Miami in the second half, they went to a zone the whole half, and I thought our guys got very tentative, Jamal included.”
Malone said he spoke with Murray about the hesitation and reinforced the need to be shot ready and commit to the attempts.
But in reality, across the daunting five-game road trip, there was little to criticize.
“When you’re on the road, all you have is each other,” Malone said. “…Winning always helps chemistry. … When you go on the road, and obviously most of these places don’t have fans, it’s always a ‘just us’ mentality.”
And the common thread across their 10-4 January before Friday night? Defense.
“Every day I’m telling our guys, ‘There’s a reason that we’re 10-3 in our last 13 games,’” Malone said. “We have a top-5 defense in that time.”
The Nuggets hardly looked like the team that had suffocated their opponents on the defensive end for weeks. San Antonio exposed a porous Nuggets defense as part of a 61-55 first half Friday night.
The Spurs drained seven 3-pointers, connecting on 59% of their shots overall. Defensive breakdowns and miscommunications dotted the first two quarters, which saw DeRozan pour in a game-high 14 points.
Offensively, the Nuggets were in sync. Jokic and Murray tallied 24 points combined, though Jokic’s outside shooting continued to abandon him. Murray and Porter each nailed two 3-pointers to help keep pace with their counterparts.
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January 30, 2021 at 11:07AM
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Spurs snap Nuggets’ five-game winning streak despite Nikola Jokic’s 35-point night - The Denver Post
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