For the sixth time this season, the Nuggets gained a recreation they fell behind within the fourth quarter, battling San Antonio to a 122-111 extra time triumph Saturday evening.
The Nuggets (20-14) have gained 9 of their final 13 video games and managed to separate a back-to-back with the Spurs. The street staff gained each nights.
Final-shot changes
Earlier than extra time, the Nuggets had an opportunity to flee San Antonio in regulation with the final shot after Devin Vassell’s game-tying tip with 14 seconds left. Malone took a timeout to arrange the play, as he did with 17 seconds remaining in Denver 24 hours earlier.
Within the first recreation of a back-to-back, the Nuggets trailed by one, not tied. The ultimate possession was thwarted by a mixture of unlucky improvisation from Jokic and poor spacing round him, particularly with Russell Westbrook away from the ball. This time, the Nuggets performed by means of Westbrook with the ball in his fingers whereas Murray spaced the ground as a catching possibility.
The adjustment labored. The spacing was higher. The execution was higher, as Westbrook made the appropriate learn discovering Jokic for a protracted pick-and-pop two on the buzzer. It was a clear look, with out the stature of Victor Wembanyama. It was merely deleted.
Jokic made up for it by dominating extra time. He scored 9 of his 46 factors, together with a pleasant elbow strike with Wembanyama within the face, as if to remind the younger phenom who the MVP is. He added a steal and several other extra deflections within the further interval, ending the evening 19 of 35 from the sector with 9 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks.
Watson closes and defends Wemby honorably
Peyton Watson hasn’t been a staple in Malone’s closing lineups this season, however he earned his approach onto the sector for the tip of the fourth quarter and extra time in San Antonio because of his lively fingers, reflexes and his physique towards Wembanyama.
Friday night, the French middle scored 35 factors. However the Nuggets wasted his twenty first birthday, limiting him to twenty factors on 7-of-19 capturing with 4 turnovers. Watson performed a significant position with two blocks, together with one in extra time as Denver pulled away.
Russell Westbrook additionally made probably the most vital performs of the sport after 4 minutes, reducing in entrance of Wembanyama’s path whereas dribbling the ball up the ground to attract Wemby’s second foul 70 toes from the basket. That planted San Antonio’s greatest participant on the bench till the second quarter, permitting the Nuggets to outlive their gradual offensive begin. They scored 40 of their 54 factors within the first half within the paint.
Again to again is best than a protracted relaxation?
Arriving at their San Antonio lodge after 3 a.m., the Nuggets now lead 7-0 within the second straight recreation this season. They’re additionally 4-0 in extra time video games, with all 4 occurring consecutively.
Sadly for Denver, the following opponent is Boston after two days off at house. The Nuggets are oddly 3-5 this season after two or extra days off. This will probably be their first matchup towards the staff that changed them as reigning NBA champions.
For maybe the primary time in these seven consecutive victories, Denver’s gamers regarded drained on Saturday. They returned to the locker room after a 1-of-15 first half from the 3-point line, with none apart from Jokic in double figures. Jamal Murray was out once more and his shot choice was usually questionable – extra 2s than 3s when trying to rating off the dribble. Michael Porter Jr. had simply 4 factors.
However the 6-foot-10 ahead turned it on within the second half to maintain the Nuggets alive, ending with 28 factors and 10 rebounds on a staff that in any other case continued to wrestle on the glass. He scored seven essential factors throughout Jokic’s window of minutes of relaxation early within the fourth, serving to minimize a deficit from 92-81 to 96-91 on Jokic’s return.
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