In a tight contest that could be a prelude to future NBA marquee matchups, the Denver Nuggets edged the San Antonio Spurs 110-105. It was a night featuring a duel of giants as Nikola Jokic's 42-point performance for the Nuggets stood up against Spurs' phenom Victor Wembanyama's near quadruple-double, as reported by ESPN. Jokic's scoring coupled with a critical late 3-pointer from Michael Porter Jr. helped Denver retake the top spot in the West.
Coach Gregg Popovich, as exhausted as he was impressed, "That's been one of the most competitive games that I've been a part of for many years. For 48 minutes under difficult circumstances. These guys just played. They didn't worry about a call, a turnover, or whatever. They just went for the next play. So many people participated with the effort for 48 [minutes]." in a statement obtained by KENS 5. Despite putting up a stellar performance with 23 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and nine blocks, Wembanyama and the Spurs couldn't overcome the defending champions. Lacking the presence of injured starters including Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson, the Spurs' effort was still described as "really a joy" by Coach Popovich after nearly completing the upset.
Jokic, aiming for his third MVP award, also snagged 16 rebounds and doled out six assists, adapting his game in real-time. The 7-foot Serbian had to alter the arc of his shots dealing with towering Wembanyama, standing at 7-foot-4, tied for the tallest active NBA player. "Of course I didn't do a good job today. He blocked six, seven shots," Jokic said, acknowledging the rookie's defensive prowess in a press conference covered by ESPN.
While San Antonio fell to 18-58 for the season with the loss, the Nuggets climbed to 53-23, half a game ahead of Oklahoma City. The Spurs showed resilience and promise with double-digit scoring coming from several players like Malaki Branham, who dropped 24 points. Notably, Tre Jones notched his third career triple-double, despite missing easy shots that "killed us tonight," as he told KENS 5.
The attention, however, was fixed on the upcoming talent, with Aaron Gordon stating, “He's going to be really, really, really, really, really, really good,” referring to Wembanyama after hounding him on defense.
The two titans are set for a rematch on April 12, where Wembanyama will have another chance to go head-to-head against Jokic. Popovich awaits the matchup eagerly. “For Victor to want to guard him and to learn, it was a real testament to how good he wants to be. To go up against Nikola, like I said, shows a lot. And he is learning by the minute.” Popovich foretold in the buildup to the next big showdown, as told to ESPN.
