The Nuggets were obliterated early by the Spurs, then late, losing the 1st Quarter by ten points, and the 4th Quarter by twenty-two. Julius Randle had 28 points & 9 rebounds, with 3 steals & 2 blocks. Fred VanVleet was sharp, scoring 24. Dejounte Murray had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists & 8 steals, still a far cry from his career-high last time around. Brandon Clarke had 12 solid points, with Drummond demanding 14 rebounds. T.J. McConnell had 9 points with 9 assists, sneakily swiping 7 steals.
In the brutal defeat, Jamal Murray had 19 points to lead Denver but they shot just 42% and had an awful 32 turnovers, getting dominated down low 64-44.
Ex-Spur, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dropped a 30-piece in the second game, but so did Fred VanVleet. That isn't to say the Spurs weren't buckled by the 1st Quarter blitz by the Nuggets, who shot insanely from the perimeter, roasting the Spurs by 10 early and finishing the quarter up 37-31. It was a cerebral team-ball display from there, despite a brief comeback in the 3rd by Denver, then an admirable flurry to end the game, ultimately losing by 8, 121-129. San Antonio dominated the Nuggets, 39-28 in the 2nd Quarter, then 33-18 in the 3rd.
Had Denver kept shooting so hotly from 3, it might've changed things, seeing as the Spurs lost two back-to-back showdowns with the Warriors & Suns, but the Spurs defense anchored in the home win, climbing to 13-0 on the season at the AT&T Center. Dejounte Murray had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists with 6 steals and an impressive 5 blocks. Buddy Hield had 20, and Drummond had 20 rebounds with 5 blocks, as well as 14 solid points down low, showing his dedication to scoring this season. Gary Trent, Jr, got hot for 14 points, with Julius Randle salvaging an otherwise chilly performance of his own with 12 points, 6 rebounds & 6 assists (6-15, 0-4 3PT). VanVleet, however, bombed 8 daggers from long range.
In the respectable loss, Denver was led by KCP, who hit 6 threes, going a stellar 11-14 overall. Jamaal Murray scored 19 points with 7 assists, but had 4 turnovers. Aaron Gordon (18 points) had a highlight dunk past Paul Millsap before Millsap got his receipt, by hitting a savvy hook shot over him at the rim. Nikola Jokic had another quiet night with 16 points, 11 rebounds & 9 assists, falling short of a triple-double.
