SAN ANTONIO – The Nuggets may still be in a Christmas lull.
The Spurs took it to the Nuggets in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game and pulled away for a 111-103 win. A 15-0 fourth-quarter run, buoyed by 3-pointers and dunks, sealed the Spurs’ victory, though Denver made a late charge to keep it relatively tight.
The Nuggets, who host the Spurs on Friday at the Pepsi Center, dropped to 21-11.
“Our transition defense was awful tonight,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “San Antonio is not a team that runs at a high level. Bryn Forbes scored 10 points by himself in transition, so I think we allowed the disappointment of missing shots to hang our head and to wait to get back, and when you do that, that’s losing basketball.”
The Nuggets, led by Malik Beasley’s 15 fourth quarter points, roared back to get it within five, but it was too late.
Despite knocking down 18 3-pointers, the Nuggets shot just 39 percent from the field and were outscored 48-28 in the paint. had a season-high 27 points, including six 3-pointers, but Jamal Murray and Monte Morris found little rhythm all night. The duo shot just 10-of-35.
, who had four points, 10 assists and four rebounds, may be on the precipice of his first All-Star Game, but leave it to Gregg Popovich to offer perspective on the Nuggets’ franchise pillar.
“When I think of revolutions, I think of people like Che Guevara, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin,” Popovich deadpanned. “I don’t really think of Jokic as far as revolutionary, so I think you’re a bit hyperbolic there. But he is one heck of a player.”
Even though Jokic didn’t have one of his transcendent games and was thoroughly outplayed by LaMarcus Aldridge (27 points), Popovich’s pregame affinity for him still held.
“He’s kind of pudgy, he doesn’t jump out of the gym, he doesn’t run that fast, but he might be one of the smartest players in the league,” Popovich said. “And he’s got skills. And he knows how to use him, and he enjoys himself out there.”
Thatap true on the offensive end, but there were times Wednesday when Aldridge left him helpless against his array of jumpers.
Offseason acquisition DeMar DeRozan was steady with 30 points and seven boards.
Before the game, Popovich and Malone were equally complimentary of each other. Malone thanked Popovich for jump-starting his coaching career, vouching for him in both Cleveland and New Orleans, and Popovich lauded the job Malone has done developing the Nuggets’ core.
“He’s a hardnosed guy,” Popovich said. “He has standards, he’s demanding, but he’s fair and he’s knowledgeable. … I couldn’t be happier for him.”
As for the Spurs, who despite 10 new players are within striking distance of the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference, Malone praised the identity of every Popovich team and called him arguably the greatest coach in NBA history.
“They do everything with pace, they do everything with purpose and discipline, and what I’ve always felt is if you make any mistakes against them, they exploit it, on either end,” Malone said of the Spurs. “The players change, but the one constant here with this organization is Gregg Popovich and the job that he’s done.”
The Spurs held a 55-53 edge at halftime after dominating the Nuggets in the post. One game after yielding 80 points in the paint to the Clippers in their worst loss of the season, the Nuggets’ interior defense broke down again. Aldridge had 18 of the Spurs’ 28 points in the paint compared to just 12 for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets managed just 37 percent shooting from the field over two quarters, subsisting on 10 first-half 3-pointers. Hernangomez buried four, and Morris came off the bench with three more triples.
