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Spurs vs. Nuggets: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
- Updated: January 6, 2017
The San Antonio Spurs let the Denver Nuggets hang around during Thursday’s Western Conference showdown at the Pepsi Center, but they unleashed their dominance in the second half of a 127-99 victory.
San Antonio outscored Denver 69-46 after halftime to secure a win that moved it to 29-7 overall and a head-turning 17-3 on the road this season.
The Nuggets, who dropped to 14-22 with their fourth straight loss, couldn’t keep up with the combination of LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol.
Aldridge led all scorers with 28 points, while Leonard stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Parker just missed a double-double with 21 points and nine assists, and Gasol controlled the interior with 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
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The Spurs’ perimeter defense also helped set the tone, holding Denver to 7-of-25 shooting from three-point range.
Despite San Antonio’s strong effort on that end of the floor, Nikola Jokic tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists behind 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Danilo Gallinari chipped in with 15 points, and Darrell Arthur added 13.
While San Antonio ultimately settled in, it was a defense-optional first quarter, and neither team built much of an advantage in the opening 12 minutes. Denver took a 33-29 lead into the second behind 11 points from Jokic and eight from Arthur.
The Spurs countered with nine points from Parker and eight from Aldridge but struggled on the defensive side of the ball against the red-hot Nuggets. That didn’t stop Aldridge from putting Jokic on a poster, however, as NBA on ESPN shared:
“OH MAMA!” https://t.co/z4KICmIglk
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 6, 2017
Things turned for San Antonio early in the second quarter. It allowed just nine points in the first six minutes of the second and took a 44-43 lead when Gasol converted an and-1.
Denver …
