Denver Nuggets (41-26) beat San Antonio Spurs (48-19) 136-131 on the road on Thursday, March 12, after falling far behind. The Nuggets were down 16 at one quarter break and still finished 5 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-25 and a 12-point lead after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 32-28 second quarter, carrying a 16-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 41-37 to stay in front, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 42-25; the Nuggets completed the comeback for a 136-131 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Nuggets made 40.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 27.4 for the Spurs. The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 56.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.3% for the Spurs. In a 5-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Spurs did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 23.1% against 15.9%. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 126.6 points per 100 possessions to 122 for the Spurs.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 36-21.
Who carried the comeback
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 31 pts, 20 reb, 12 ast, 3 stl on 9-17 shooting. His Game Score of 38.5 led everyone. His team was +8 with him on the floor.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 30 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast on 7-15 shooting, good for a 30.2 Game Score.
Stephon Castle (30 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) and Nikola Jokic (31 pts, 20 reb, 12 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Nuggets entered with about a 20% chance.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, San Antonio Spurs lead 3-1.
The Nuggets are now 41-26, and the Spurs are 48-19. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.