AUSTIN — Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in an effort to expand their fan base regional.
Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 assists for Denver, which won its fifth straight game and 11th time in 12 games to stay atop the Western Conference standings.
Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama each scored 17 points for San Antonio, which lost its third straight.
The Spurs have played in Austin the past two seasons to expand their financial reach and grow their fan base. The move proved a popular choice as the Spurs set the attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center with 16,223 people on Friday.
Still, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was concerned his team didn’t have the right mindset, since Austin isn’t a traditional NBA city.
“It feels like preseason,” Malone said. “I hope for our players that once the half starts, we will understand that it is not pre-season, it is a real match. We must embrace it and give it the attention and respect it deserves.
The game had its logistical difficulties. The teams didn’t know where to go in the stadium. Monitors and video boards for statistics were not updated or were completely out of order, and Spurs radio announcer Bill Schoening had to broadcast his show on his cell phone.
But any concerns Malone had about how the defending NBA champions would react were quickly put to rest.
The Nuggets shot 55% from the field and led by as many as 21 points.
Wembanyama opened the game by blocking and recovering a short Jokic jumper in the paint.
Despite the early block, Denver attacked the rim with impunity. Aaron Gordon had a one-possession alley-oop dunk after dunk with Wembanyama close behind. Michael Porter Jr. then completed a three-point play on a contested layup and a foul by Julian Champagnie.
Porter finished with 13 points and Gordon finished with seven.
Denver went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter and took a 19-point lead.
The Spurs cut their deficit to 81-77 on Keldon Johnson’s contested layup to Jokic with 1:23 left in the third, but the Nuggets quickly rebuilt a double-digit lead in the fourth.
FOLLOWING
Nuggets: At Dallas on Sunday night.
Spurs: Host Brooklyn on Sunday night.
