San Antonio Plays Complete Game to Take Down Denver

The injury report has not been a friend to Spurs fans this season. Time and time again, key contributors appeared with serious injuries leaving them out for months at a time, or minor bumps and bruises, muddying up the rotation, and leaving the team incomplete. When the report dropped on Thursday afternoon, fans had a reason to cheer rather than cringe. With a near complete squad, San Antonio got a full team effort leading to one of the most fun games of the season, and a 128-120 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Keldon Johnson was the team’s leader in both performance and spirit. He finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, soaking in the hometown crowd throughout his stellar play.

Jeremy Sochan pitched in 19 points with some acrobatic finished at the basket, as well as 8 rebounds. The story of the game however was the Spurs bench, who outscored the Nuggets bench 61-25, with clutch performances from Doug McDermott and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The latter had his breakout game as a Spur, capitalizing on the opportunity that arose from a… well, slight scuffle between Zach Collins and Michael Porter Jr. that led to both of their ejections.

Mamu played the entire 4th quarter, scoring 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He did it all for San Antonio, knocking down 3s, fighting on the glass, and hitting cutters on pretty passes.

The Spurs big men had a good night against MVP-candidate, Nikola Jokic. Collins tallied 10 points and 9 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. Charles Bassey filled in nicely during the 3rd quarter as well.

Sochan showed off the new violet hairstyle tonight, but it wasn’t all rainbows and flowers for the Nuggets defense. His downhill drives and cuts to the paint consistently put pressure on Denver all game.

Another key piece of this rebuilding Spurs team, Devin Vassell showed flashes of the go-to shot maker he was prior to knee surgery. He tossed in 14-points on a some difficult shots.

An unsung hero of the Spurs season has been Doug McDermott, whose shooting brings a lot to the team off the bench. Against Denver he did it all, running in transition, knocking down 3s in key moments, and even getting a McDunk!

Speaking of veteran contributors, how about Keita Bates-Diop? The forward has become ole’ reliable for the Silver and Black this season. Starter or reserve, big man or wing, it hasn’t mattered. His length and basketball IQ have been beneficial to the team all year. He finished the night with 9 points, and had some impressive hustle plays.

Of all individual players, Johnson was by far the most impressive. He may not be a conventional leading man, but his motor and heart are second to none. It seemed like nothing could stop him from getting to the hoop tonight. The Spurs had to be happy to see him go 3-5 from deep as well. Johnson is shooting 3% better from deep at home this season.

Check out the full-game highlights:

The Spurs will look to go 2-0 to start their 6-game homestand with a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, March 12.