In what was an incredibly fun, interesting, and dynamic game, the Denver Nuggets ultimately fell flat, losing in clutch time 113-110 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Down by one with 17 seconds left, the Nuggets had the ball. They ran Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray two-man action that led to a quick Jokic post up in the middle of the floor. Jokic went right, felt the double-team, turned to Sombor Shuffle, only to realize his shot would get blocked by Victor Wembanyama if he attempted one. So, he threw a desperation pass across the court that was stolen. The Spurs laid the ball in on the other end with 1.7 seconds remaining to go up by three points.

“Obviously that last play, just wanted to get a shot off, and that hasn’t been us. Usually, we’re very good in terms of closing games and finishing games, and we just weren’t able to do it tonight.”

Rather than call a timeout, Malone let the game play out. Murray inbounded the ball to Michael Porter Jr. at halfcourt, who wasn’t able to get off a three-pointer that missed anyway. A brutal way to lose a close game.

I wasn’t able to get an answer from Malone on why there wasn’t a timeout, but Jokic said he thought one should have been called.

“We had a timeout. I think that was all of our mistake, literally everybody’s mistake, because we could have advanced the ball and still got a decent look.”

Jokic finished the game with 41 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists compared to just two turnovers. It was an impressive performance going against Wembanyama, as tough a  frontcourt defender to score against as anyone. Unfortunately, Jokic shot just 15-of-36 from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point range. That high number of shots showcased how aggressive Jokic was willing to be in his minutes, but the efficiency wasn’t there.

Wembanyama truly matched him in this game and perhaps outplayed him. The second-year phenom had 35 points on 14-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from three

Jamal Murray wasn’t any better efficiency wise for Denver, scoring just 14 points on 6-of-17 from the field and 2-of-5 from three. Murray took just three shots in the restricted area and nine mid-range jumpers, shooting 2-of-9 on those possessions. Both he and Jokic appeared extremely aware of Wembanyama’s shot blocking ability at all times and settled for some very difficult shots. Murray took blame postgame, saying he didn’t hit enough of those jumpers throughout the contest.

Only Michael Porter Jr. had a good night efficiency wise for Denver, making some big shots throughout the evening to keep Denver close and ultimately take the lead at one point. Porter’s 22 points on 15 shots continue to emphasize how important it is for the Nuggets to keep him involved in the action, especially with a rim protector patrolling the paint.

“I feel like we gave the game up tonight,” Porter shared postgame.

The best and worst part about the NBA

This one didn’t end the way the Nuggets hoped for. It didn’t start the way the Nuggets hoped for either, with Denver once again getting down before halftime. Denver did some good things in the third quarter to ultimately retake the lead, winning that quarter 38-27. Unfortunately, it was the only quarter Denver won, and a 10-2 run from the Spurs to begin the fourth quarter without Jokic on the floor flipped the momentum around again.

There will be plenty of second guessing, plenty of reasons for blame. Jokic took blame for the turnover. Murray took blame for below standard shotmaking. Malone would assumably take blame for not calling a timeout at the end. The Nuggets had plenty of opportunities to win this one, and it slipped through their fingers.

Jokic and Murray each played about 36:30 tonight. Christian Braun played just under 43 minutes. Michael Porter Jr. played 42 minutes. The Nuggets ran what was effectively a playoff rotation against the Spurs. Julian Strawther played for spacing purposes. Peyton Watson added some defense. Hunter Tyson and DeAndre Jordan combined for fewer than 10 minutes, and that was it. Without Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets appeared at least a man short tonight. He would have been their best option against Wemby, and though the Nuggets did a solid enough job defensively to get the job done, the offense wasn’t good enough for fear of Wembanyama shot blocking.

The best and worst thing about the NBA regular season? There’s always another game.

This one is a little bit more special, because the Nuggets and Spurs will both travel to San Antonio for a matchup tomorrow. It’s an opportunity for the Nuggets to right some wrongs. It’s an opportunity for Spurs fans to see Jokic the same way Nuggets fans marveled at Wemby all night.

These matchups, individually, don’t come around often. Jokic and Wembanyama looked like peers out there. Jokic got numbers, though inefficiently. Wemby was +17 in his 33 minutes and continues to show he’s the future of the league.

It will be up to Joker to play even better tomorrow. The Nuggets are great on back-to-backs, and he’s a big reason why.

We will see if the Nuggets can execute a little better in 24 hours, both on the court and on the sidelines.

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