SAN ANTONIO — Kenyon Martin guarded Tim Duncan so tight, it looked like they shared a jersey. Nene calmly splashed midrange jumpers over Duncan, as if the Spurs’ post was a guard. And when Wednesday’s game ended, one could argue that Duncan, a future Hall of Famer, was the third-best big man on the floor that night.
In Denver’s 91-81 smothering of San Antonio, Martin and Nene each played Goliathesque defense and flirted with double-doubles, and the first-place Nuggets (8-4) cruised to their second win in as many nights.
“I don’t let Tim do what he wants to do — never have, never will,” said Martin, who helped hold Duncan to 12 points in 30 minutes. “Just try to make it tough as possible on him, not to get the easy looks that he wants. Just crowd him.”
For the second straight night, Denver’s opponent played without two key cogs, and, yes, the injured Spurs duo was pretty significant — Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, both out with left ankle injuries.
But while people might put an asterisk on the win, they should also remember the asterisk-kicking, courtesy of Denver’s low post. Martin finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Nene had 16, nine and two blocks. And defensively, the Nuggets didn’t just keep Duncan from getting into a groove, they kept the Spurs from doing so. San Antonio (5-6) shot just 38.7 percent.
“There’s very few possessions that Kenyon, Chauncey (Billups) or even Carmelo (Anthony) don’t have an attitude that we have to do it the right way,” said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team is 7-1 with Billups in the lineup.
As for Duncan, he logged a respectable 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, but without his key backcourt teammates, he scowled more than he shot. And with 1:21 left in the third quarter, he was slapped with a technical foul. With 29.9 seconds left in the third quarter, Billups swished a 3-pointer, giving Denver a 73-53 lead, and Duncan rested the rest of the night.
“(Martin and Nene) both played Tim a different way, kept him a little off-balance, and then we were coming, digging and helping,” said Billups, who scored a game-high 22 points. “Since I’ve been here, they’ve just controlled the paint, every game.”
Anthony made just five field goals Wednesday, following up two games of four field goals apiece. All three games were Denver victories.
He had a game-high seven assists and nine rebounds, tied with Nene for the team lead.
“I don’t think we’ve rode his back as much as we have at times,” Karl said of Anthony, who averages 20.6 points, compared to 25.7 last season.
The Nuggets’ on-court communication has been clear and continuous, perhaps epitomized by one play early in the third quarter. Anthony held the ball near the top of the key, while Billups was on the right wing. While Anthony controlled possession, he pointed toward a spot on the floor and yelled out a play call. Billups responded back to Anthony and, suddenly, Billups popped open on the wing, received a pass and hit an open 3-pointer.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Linas Kleiza, one night after scoring 25, went scoreless.
Final thought
In the past six days, Denver has defeated the previous two NBA champions on the road.
Up next
At Los Angeles Lakers, 8:30 p.m., Friday
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
