The Denver Nuggets came into their meeting with the San Antonio Spurs with the ability to clinch a postseason berth with a win. But 56 combined points from Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Josh Richardson forced Denver to hold off on their celebration in a 116-97 Nuggets loss.
Nikola Jokić went to work early, drawing two fouls on Spurs center Jakob Poeltl to force him to the bench in the opening minutes. However, the Spurs responded with a quick 7-0 run, taking an 11-7 lead to the first timeout.
Devin Vassell had the hot hand early for San Antonio, scoring 12 of the team's first 21 points. But it was Jokić who had the last laugh of the first period, amassing 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to keep the Nuggets close, as they trailed 32-30 after one.
The Nuggets' second unit struggled early in the second quarter against the youthful attack of Tre Jones, Keldon Johnson, and Vassell. With 5:56 to go in the half, it was San Antonio in command, 46-34, prompting a return to the starting five from head coach Michael Malone.
Following the game, Malone expressed disappointment in the bench unit, saying "they played like it was a game in the middle of November, not Game 80 with a chance to clinch."
Heated exchanges between Jokić, Malone, and the officials later in the quarter led to technicals fouls against the Nuggets star and head coach, encapsulating a difficult 14-point period for Denver. At the half, the Spurs had full command with a 64-44 advantage.
The Nuggets showed signs of life in the opening of the second half, putting on a defensive clinic and cooling down the once red-hot Vassell. The Spurs lead was cut to just 10 in under six minutes of play before back-to-back buckets from Johnson gave some momentum back to San Antonio.
Will Barton quickly put the spotlight on himself, hitting back-to-back threes to bring the Nuggets within single digits for the first time since early in the second quarter. Denver carried this momentum to the end of the third period, trailing 85-79. Jokic led the way with a dominant 34 points and 11 rebounds through three.
The MVP-hopeful began the fourth and final quarter on the bench, but checked in at the 9:00 mark. Despite that, the Spurs ballooned their lead to 12 behind a balanced attack.
From there, the young legs of the Spurs prevailed. The Nuggets fell short, 116-97, forcing them to wait two more days before having another chance to clinch a postseason berth.
Aaron Gordon called the loss an especially difficult one, saying "it's a bad loss for us. We didn't take advantage of the opportunity presented to us."
Jokić's 41 points and 17 rebound added another notch in his Most Valuable Player campaign, while Gordon impressed with 18 points and 13 rebounds of his own.