Denver Nuggets (54-28) beat San Antonio Spurs (62-21) 128-118 on the road on Sunday, April 12, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets had the better start, winning the first 37-34 to lead by 3 after one. The Nuggets kept the pressure on with a 33-22 second quarter, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 35-31 to stay in front, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 27 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets closed regulation with a 128-118 lead.
What decided it
The Nuggets grabbed 38% of their own misses, while the Spurs recovered 26.4%. The Nuggets made 17 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 13.1 for the Spurs. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 126.4 points per 100 possessions to 116.5 for the Spurs.
Who made the difference
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 23 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast on 7-12 shooting. His Game Score of 22.4 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
De'Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 24 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast on 8-21 shooting, good for a 17.7 Game Score.
Stephon Castle (10 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast), David Roddy (15 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast), and Jonas Valanciunas (16 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Nuggets entered with about a 22% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Nuggets are now 54-28, and the Spurs are 62-21. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.