NBA: Wembanyama wins battle of big men as Spurs top Nuggets
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) attempts a shot as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) defends in the third quarter of an NBA game at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Victor Wembanyama amassed 35 points, 18 rebounds and four assists, and his steal in the final seconds helped the San Antonio Spurs beat the host Denver Nuggets 113-110 in the NBA on Friday night.
Devin Vassell scored 18 points and had a dunk in the final seconds to seal San Antonio’s win. Keldon Johnson scored 16 points, Julian Champagnie had 15 and Chris Paul added 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Spurs.
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San Antonio led 111-110 with 17 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic had the ball near the top. Wembanyama, who had eight turnovers, stole Jokic’s pass and fed Vassell for the dunk.
Michael Porter Jr., who scored 22 points, missed a 3-point attempt from 35 feet at the horn.
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Jokic finished with 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, Jamal Murray scored 14 points and Christian Braun and Julian Strawther 11 each for Denver.
The Nuggets led 90-87 to start the final quarter but San Antonio rallied. Tyus Jones gave the Spurs the lead with a layup, and Wembanyama hit a 27-footer and a 31-footer to make it 97-92 with 7:53 left.
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Jokic had been out since the start of the quarter, and upon his return, he fed Porter and Strawther for 3-pointers as Denver went back in front 100-99.
The lead grew to 108-103 after Porter’s dunk with 2:35 left, but Wembanyama fed Johnson for a three-point play to give San Antonio a 109-108 lead.
Jokic and Paul traded buckets, Jokic missed a 3-pointer and Champagnie had a turnover with 17 seconds left to set up the last chance for Denver.
The Nuggets trailed by eight at halftime but went on a 14-4 run to open the third quarter. The two teams then got hot from deep, combining to make five straight 3-pointers, three by San Antonio.
Wembanyama had a double-double 2:09 into the second quarter to help San Antonio build a lead that grew to 12. He had 22 points and 13 rebounds at intermission to counter Jokic’s 19 points and 10 boards. –Field Level Media
