Devonte’ Graham’s game winner caps San Antonio’s double-digit comeback win

Highlights from the Spurs win over the Nuggets.

After one of their most brutal blowout losses of the season, the San Antonio Spurs got redemption in a wild win over the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs found themselves down 17 points in the fourth quarter, then went on a 28-13 run to wipe away the deficit and seal a signature win for this young team.

They were led by some unlikely Spurs. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Devonte’ Graham had been end of the bench players for the majority of the season, until injuries to many of the Spurs starters thrust them into the rotation. Their performances are reminders of the deep talent pool that exists within the NBA.

With the Spurs down one with roughly 30 second left, the Nuggets took most of the time off the clock. MVP-candidate Nikola Jokic missed an open mid-range jump shot with 7 seconds left. Tre Jones saved the rebound from going out of bounds and quickly pushed the ball up the floor. He found a streaking Graham, who euro-stepped into a floater over the top of Jamal Murray. Onions.

Jones role in this game winner is underrated. It was a heck of a shot by Graham, but to save that ball and still be able to push it ahead that quickly is a winning play. This is one of the signature moments of the entire Spurs season.

The Spurs are headed for the Draft Lottery, rather than the NBA Playoffs. Still it was apparent that this win meant something to the team, and the fans. This energy is the type of thing that keeps young rebuilding things moving foward.

They couldn’t have gotten there without the clutch play of Mamukelashvili. The big man finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds on an efficient 8-14 night from the field. His offensive flair gave the Spurs some juice as they surged back.

Mamu fooled the Nuggets with a variety of fakes and sound footwork. With a larger offensive role, he’s been able to show off his deep bag of tricks. He’s also been a menace on the boards. Friday was Mamu’s third double-double of the season.

The Victor Wembanyama and Mamukelashvili pairing has been one of the major highlights for the Spurs’ run toward the end of the season. Wembanyama thrives as a passer out of the low and high post. He’s adept at finding streaking cutters and relocating shooters for open looks. Mamu just knows what spaces on the floor need to be occupied to beat the defense, making them a synergistic pairing. The Spurs are outscoring teams by 10 points per 100 possessions when they share the floor.

Wembanyama had a takeover moment in the third quarter, scoring 17 points in about 3 minutes. He made a 26-foot three, a layup, an and-1 finish, a 29-foot three, a 26-foot three and then this pull-up 29-footer to cap it off. It was another one of the those unworldly moments for the rookie. Wembanyama finished the night with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.

Julian Champagnie was clutch down the stretch. He had some explosive dunks and hit big time threes when the Spurs needed it. He finished with 14 points and hit 4-5 three-pointers. Champagnie has played really well in the last five games or so. If he continues to develop, the Spurs could have another G Leaguer turned NBA starter on their hands.

Sidy Cissoko gave the Spurs some nice minutes off the bench. The rookie was +14 in his 17 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 3 rebounds. Cissoko powered home this monstrous dunk in the third quarter. He spent most of his time this season developing in Austin, but he’s certainly made the most of his minutes to end the year.

Game 82 will take place on Sunday as the Spurs face the Detroit Pistons in San Antonio. Certainly the Spurs will be riding this energy into their final game of the year against another team looking towards the NBA Draft this summer.

Check out full game highlights from the Spurs win over the Nuggets below.