Nikola Jokic scores 46 points, Nuggets rally for overtime win against Spurs

For the sixth time this season, the Nuggets won a game they fell behind in the fourth quarter, battling San Antonio to a 122-111 overtime triumph Saturday night.

The Nuggets (20-14) have won nine of their last 13 games and managed to split a back-to-back with the Spurs. The road team won both nights.

Last-shot adjustments

Before overtime, the Nuggets had a chance to escape San Antonio in regulation with the last shot after Devin Vassell’s game-tying tip with 14 seconds left. Malone took a timeout to set up the play, as he did with 17 seconds remaining in Denver 24 hours earlier.

In the first game of a back-to-back, the Nuggets trailed by one, not tied. The final possession was thwarted by a combination of unfortunate improvisation from Jokic and poor spacing around him, especially with Russell Westbrook away from the ball. This time, the Nuggets played through Westbrook with the ball in his hands while Murray spaced the floor as a catching option.

The adjustment worked. The spacing was better. The execution was better, as Westbrook made the right read finding Jokic for a long pick-and-pop two at the buzzer. It was a clean look, without the stature of Victor Wembanyama. It was simply deleted.

Jokic made up for it by dominating overtime. He scored nine of his 46 points, including a nice elbow strike with Wembanyama in the face, as if to remind the young phenom who the MVP is. He added a steal and several more deflections in the extra period, finishing the night 19 of 35 from the field with nine rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks.

Watson closes and defends Wemby honorably

Peyton Watson hasn’t been a staple in Malone’s closing lineups this season, but he earned his way onto the field for the end of the fourth quarter and overtime in San Antonio thanks to his active hands, reflexes and his physique against Wembanyama.

Friday evening, the French center scored 35 points. But the Nuggets wasted his 21st birthday, limiting him to 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting with four turnovers. Watson played a major role with two blocks, including one in overtime as Denver pulled away.

Russell Westbrook also made one of the most important plays of the game after four minutes, cutting in front of Wembanyama’s path while dribbling the ball up the floor to draw Wemby’s second foul 70 feet from the basket. That planted San Antonio’s best player on the bench until the second quarter, allowing the Nuggets to survive their slow offensive start. They scored 40 of their 54 points in the first half in the paint.

Back to back is better than a long rest?

Arriving at their San Antonio hotel after 3 a.m., the Nuggets now lead 7-0 in the second straight game this season. They are also 4-0 in overtime games, with all four occurring consecutively.

Unfortunately for Denver, the next opponent is Boston after two days off at home. The Nuggets are oddly 3-5 this season after two or more days off. This will be their first matchup against the team that replaced them as reigning NBA champions.

For perhaps the first time in these seven consecutive victories, Denver’s players looked tired on Saturday. They returned to the locker room after a 1-of-15 first half from the 3-point line, with none other than Jokic in double figures. Jamal Murray was out again and his shot selection was often questionable – more 2s than 3s when looking to score off the dribble. Michael Porter Jr. had just four points.

But the 6-foot-10 forward turned it on in the second half to keep the Nuggets alive, finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds on a team that otherwise continued to struggle on the glass. He scored seven crucial points during Jokic’s window of minutes of rest early in the fourth, helping cut a deficit from 92-81 to 96-91 on Jokic’s return.

Originally published: January 5, 2025 at 1:32 a.m. MST