San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) defends against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)
AUSTIN, Texas — Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 Friday night in an NBA game in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in their bid to expand their regional fan base.
After seeing his initial shot blocked by San Antonio rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, Jokic made 13 of 19 from the field. The reigning NBA Finals MVP added seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
“I don’t think anyone can do what Nikola does,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s amazing. Fantastic.”
Joker scores 31 points while the @nuggets win and advance to first place in the Western Conference! ????????️
31 points | 13-19 FGM | 7 RECs | 5AST | 2 BLACK pic.twitter.com/8KGU3xDbYT
-NBA (@NBA) March 16, 2024
Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 assists for The nuggets, who won their fifth straight game and for the 11th time in 12 games to stay atop the Western Conference standings.
Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and 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 before the game. “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.
Denver forced 16 turnovers, which led to 27 points.
“Just a great activity,” Malone said. “You want to be disruptive defensively. You don’t want to let teams run their offensive script and let them get the shot they want. You want to disrupt them and make teams feel you and I think we do a really good job.
Despite Wembanyama’s early block on Jokic, 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.
“When we play defense like that, we really make our lives easier,” Jokic said. “We are a good racing team. We can access the basket; we can shoot open 3s. We can have an easy attack. Our defense is something that has to be there every day and today it was there.
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.
“Something you can’t match,” Popovich said. “You can’t match the level of talent they have right now with the young (Spurs) team, but you see what it takes. The consistency, we have the effort, I’m proud of the way we We played. We were really shaky in the first quarter, almost too much respect in a way. We looked a little hesitant and they took over and played well until halfway through the third quarter, then Murray took over and Jokic took over.
NEXT SCHEDULE
Nuggets: At Dallas on Sunday night.
Spurs: Host Brooklyn on Sunday night.
