Home Entertainment ‘Terrible 1s’: Nuggets fall to 3rd place with a bitter loss to Spurs despite Murray’s 35 pts and Jokic’s effort to stop Wembanyama

‘Terrible 1s’: Nuggets fall to 3rd place with a bitter loss to Spurs despite Murray’s 35 pts and Jokic’s effort to stop Wembanyama

Entertainment — 04/13/2024

How difficult is it to beat a healthy Denver Nuggets? The defending champions have defeated some of the best teams in the NBA this season, at times with ease.

Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets - Pounding The Rock

However, no one knew that Alien Victor Wembanyama could turn out to be trouble for Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. In his final match-up against the Joker this season, Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a thrilling win, and that has surprised fans

San Antonio vs Denver, Final Score: Spurs beat the Nuggets 121-120 - Pounding The Rock

Jokic and Wembanyama went head-to-head on Friday night, in an important contest for Denver’s seeding. San Antonio has the worst record in the Western Conference at 21-60, but Wemby and Co. stunned one of the Western Conference’s top seeds.

The Spurs defeated the Nuggets, 121-120, largely due to strong stretches throughout the second half. The game-sealing play came off a fastbreak layup by guard Devonte’ Graham.

Devonte' Graham and the Spurs stun the Nuggets, who fall into a three-way tie atop the West - Yahoo Sports

Wembanyama concluded the night with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field and 5-of-12 (41.7%) from 3-point range. He scored 17 of his points in a jaw-dropping third quarter, which included a 3-pointer just past halfcourt. However, the best part was how he led the team to a 23-point comeback against the Nuggets.

Meanwhile, Jokic recorded 22 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds on 9-of-13 (69.2%) shooting from the field. Denver had just 6 turnovers to San Antonio’s 18, but the Spurs still managed to come out on top.

Devonte' Graham and the Spurs stun the Nuggets, who fall into a three-way tie atop the West

Despite Jamal Murray‘s 35-point outburst, the Spurs hit a last-second game-winner, to give a teaser of how they will be playing in the next season.

The Nuggets had an opportunity with less than one second left but could not inbound the ball. San Antonio erased a 23-point second-half deficit, outscoring the Nuggets 34-20 in the final quarter.

The Nuggets had a one-point lead when Jokic attempted a jumper from the free-throw line. Following his costly miss, Devonte Graham hit a tough floater over Murray, to seal a 121-120 win for the Spurs. Wembanyama did not want the Nuggets to enter the postseason on a positive note

This devastating loss drops Denver to the No. 3 seed in the West, trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1) and Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 2), who won their games tonight.