Hours before the madness, before Denver went hoarse, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked if Kenyon Martin could change a game on the defensive end, similar to how Kobe Bryant and LeBron James do so on offense.
“Absolutely,” the coach said.
Sure enough, there was Denver’s power forward, disrupting two shots by Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili in Wednesday’s final 30 seconds. Denver won 115-112, and on the final play, Ginobili actually pushed Martin, but Martin returned quickly to get a hand in Ginobili’s face on the potential game-tying 3 right before the buzzer. The sellout crowd went bonkers.
“I take every possession personally,” Martin said, “especially when the game is on the line and you can make a play. You just want to make it as difficult a shot as possible.”
With the aid of 63 points from Denver’s bench, the Nuggets (43-29) defeated San Antonio (57-14), the team with the best record in the NBA.
Yeah, they didn’t have Tim Duncan, but it’s not like they’re last year’s Cavaliers playing a game without James. This is a multifaceted team — with numerous key players — which just happened to be without its “key-est” player Wednesday.
Entering this week, Nuggets forward Al Harrington had scored in double figures four times since the beginning of February (and two of those nights were 10-point outings). But on Monday, Harrington scored 15 against the Raptors and on Wednesday, he had 14 by halftime against San Antonio. He looked resuscitated. He was running the floor with purpose, attacking the basket with vigor, shooting jumpers with confidence. And when the night was over, Harrington had 27, including 5-of-6 3-point attempts.
“When I didn’t play in the game in Miami, I kind of took some things personally,” Harrington said of the game last Saturday. “I’ve just got to play with a chip on my shoulder, and when I play like that, I can be much more effective.”
Nuggets fans, still haunted by Dec. 16, voiced their displeasure toward Ginobili, who drew a controversial charge that night at the buzzer, securing the win for the visitors. Ginobili was booed early and often.
Really, the fans were into this thing from the get-go. It was loud, folks.
Denver guard Raymond Felton didn’t play in the past two games because of an ankle sprain, but coach George Karl said Felton was Denver’s best player in Tuesday’s practice. And on Wednesday, he shot fearless jumpers and passed with precision, finishing with 18 points and eight assists in 33 minutes. J.R. Smith also scored 18 points off the bench.
Much was made about Duncan’s absence, but it was San Antonio’s perimeter play that had befuddled the Nuggets this season. In the three games prior, the Spurs shot a combined 44.7 percent from 3-point range against Denver. And on Wednesday, the Nuggets allowed San Antonio to shoot 13-for-32 (40.6 percent). But Denver was 12-for-21 (57.1), including three from Felton.
What a win indeed for Denver. Before the game, Karl said of the Spurs: “They’re probably the most solid fundamental team in the NBA, if you take both ends of the court (into account). They don’t make mistakes, you have to execute, you have to beat them.”
Well, Denver found a way — with its defense, with the game on the line.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Denver point guard Ty Lawson grabbed five rebounds, including two extremely difficult ones amid the big men. . . . Nuggets post Chris Andersen played only five minutes. . . . Four bench players scored 18 or more points, three of them for Denver.
Final thought
Huge shot by Wilson Chandler to take final lead; huge D by Kenyon Martin.
Up next
Friday vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
