San Antonio vs. Denver Final Score: Spurs can’t seem to fry the Nuggets, lose 115-109

The San Antonio Spurs were back home at the AT&T center for a late Monday night game against the Denver Nuggets, in which they just faced a brutal loss on Saturday. Vassell was on a minutes restriction once again, and Spurs lost 126-101.

Although they’ve been faced with a slew of injuries the past week, the Spurs have a “next man up mentality”, and looking for a second opportunity to secure a win at home.

Noticeably out tonight is Romeo Langford, who has been great on the defensive end, and Zach Collins, who played incredibly well against the Clippers recently during his last outing.

Observations

  • It’s nice seeing Charles Bassey getting minutes. He received a standing ovation from the crowd once he entered the game. Bassey attended St. Anthony’s high school in San Antonio.
  • Turnover by Jeremy Sochan turned into a 2-point layup for Tre Jones, Spurs turnover points are always a treat.
  • Doug McDermott shoots a 3, Bones Hyland responds with his own 3 right after. In the next possession, McDermott nails a 2, and Bones hyland puts down a two. I’m convinced these two were mirroring each other.
  • Nice fadeaway 3 by Keldon Johnson. He’s been shooting at the 3 very well this season. His improvement has been incredible to watch this season.
  • It’s always nice seeing Josh Richardson shooting from the 3, but his mid-range jumper he placed down is just as good, and he deserves credit for being able to effortlessly do both.
  • Tre Jones is great in transition. That’s the sentence.
  • Josh Richardson now has 13 points in the 2nd quarter and 4-for-4 from the field. Like a Wendy’s combo deal.
  • The Nuggets have three steals in a row and had a 6-0 run, Tre Jones stopped it from becoming 7-0. Spurs commit another turnover , Gordon stole the ball from Keldon. 5 turnovers in less than two minutes. This is what killed the Spurs in the last game against the Nuggets. Nuggets ended the half up 65-62.
  • Even though the Nuggets are shooting well and playing aggressively, they can’t seem to shake off the Spurs easily as they did on Saturday. The Spurs have responded well by moving quick in transition, shooting effectively, and have kept the game close. The game hasn’t really had anything further than a 5-point differential in the past several minutes throughout the game, and this is a much more competitive game.
  • Jakob Poeltl had a beautiful block in the 3rd. Just gorgeous.
  • Just like that, what I said earlier no longer stands. A few possessions in, and the Spurs are down by 9. Once again, Tre Jones responds with another beautiful mid-range jumper to keep the game competitive.
  • Tre Jones responds again with another fadeaway jumper.
  • What is killing the Spurs are these turnovers at the wrong time. The Nuggets are noticeably larger in size, and they attack rebounds inside the paint like vultures surrounding a carcass. If you’re a Nuggets fan, its actually fun to watch. If you’re a Spurs fan, not so much.
  • Keldon Johnson had a nice put-back. Its official, watching put-backs are currently being bookmarked under my favorites.
  • Another Spurs turnover is committed, and Bruce Brown comes back with the lob. The Nuggets are quick in transition and being able to capitalize off of fast plays. Pop calls a time out now that the Spurs are down by 11.
  • Keita Bates-Diop had a offensive rebound-turned-shot. He also responds in the next position with a turnover, misses, but Richardson gets the offensive possession for the easy 2. This is the type of aggression that the Spurs needed in this moment to bring the momentum back into the game.
  • Devin Vassell hits a three pointer. They are getting a nice shooting burst to end the 3rd quarter.
  • Huge block by Bassey. HUGE.
  • Nuggets have their 2nd shot clock violation in the past 5 minutes. These are crucial mistakes in the 4th quarter.
  • TRE. JONES. Quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the Spurs due to his fast-paced plays, movements during transition, and constantly playing with intensity. He has 18 points tonight.
  • Devin Vassell has a steal and quickly gets a two-pointer. Spurs were down 11 points and have now cut the lead down to 3 points. Nuggets call a time out. This is a game.
  • Keldon Johnson has a wide open three, and cuts the the lead down to one.
  • Once again, Tre Jones, who is great in transition, grabs a steal and creates the lead change 101-100.
  • Jakob Poeltl played great defense, but he was not able to put a stop to Jokic. That is hard for anyone to do, Jokic is a beast.
  • Three Spurs in the air tried to stop Jokic, and a jump ball is called. Yes, I said three…who’s the vulture attacking the carcass, now? Great defense.
  • Spurs win the jump ball.
  • Keldon looked so athletic getting the 2 inside the paint with that backdoor cut. He is just a pure athlete.
  • Jones gets a travel called. Now is not the time to make a mistake like this, the game is so close!
  • Devin Vassell had a nice step back jumper cutting the lead to four points.
  • Josh Richardson at mid-range is underrated. Anything beyond mid-range is his sweet spot. He’s on the Spurs to be a shooter, and he’s needed.
  • Nuggets get another turnover on the Spurs which turns into a dunk for Gordon. Turnovers are the kryptonite for the Spurs tonight.

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