Devonte’ Graham and the Spurs stun the Nuggets

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Devonte’ Graham transformed a floater within the lane with 0.9 seconds remaining, and the San Antonio Spurs handed Western Convention-leading Denver a doubtlessly damaging loss, rallying from 23 factors right down to beat the Nuggets 121-120 on Friday night time.

The Nuggets (56-25) fell out of sole possession of first place within the West and right into a tie with Oklahoma Metropolis and Minnesota. Due to tiebreakers, the Thunder had been first, the Timberwolves second and the Nuggets third heading into the final day of the common season on Sunday.

Denver had received three straight and was coming off a house victory over Minnesota.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing. I imply, actually disappointing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned. “We managed our personal future and what we achieved on Wednesday night time, we simply gave it proper again. what I imply? So, it’s simple to rise up for Minnesota. I imply, our guys had been locked in, they had been targeted, they had been critical. And I don’t suppose we had the identical method for tonight’s recreation, however you had an opportunity to get to the one seed and now, clearly, we’ll seemingly be the three seed on the finish of the day.”

Victor Wembanyama had 34 factors and 12 rebounds for the short-handed Spurs, who’re final within the West.

Wembanyama slammed the ball onto the court docket and screamed in celebration after what he later referred to as “perhaps the largest win of the season.”

“It simply makes each win really feel much more particular,” Wembanyama mentioned. “As a rising staff, a younger staff, it’s massive for us. We’re going to want these form of wins sooner or later.”

Jamal Murray had 35 factors and Nikola Jokic had 22 factors and 12 rebounds for Denver, which led 76-53 early within the third quarter and nonetheless had a 17-point benefit early within the fourth.

Graham, who completed with 11 factors, obtained the Spurs inside one on a layup with 30.3 seconds left. Jokic missed a 17-footer with 9 seconds remaining to arrange Graham’s game-winner.

Sandro Mamukelashvili scored a season-high 21 factors and had 12 rebounds for the Spurs (21-60), who prevented matching the worst file in franchise historical past (20-62 in 1997).

The Spurs had been with out Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham and Cedi Osman however nonetheless outscored the defending NBA champion Nuggets 34-20 within the fourth quarter.

The accidents have led to extra taking part in time for Graham, who had performed in solely 10 video games by way of February.

“That was nice for him and nice for all of us to see that for him,” Wembanyama mentioned.

San Antonio reduce into Denver’s massive leads with a 16-4 run within the third — capped by a 3 from Wembanyama — and a 14-2 burst within the fourth that Mamukelashvili completed with a driving layup.

“We had been down 23 and we got here again, and I really feel like at that time you don’t need to let it up and also you go full steam,” Mamukelashvili mentioned. “So joyful we obtained the win.”

The Nuggets missed six of their closing seven pictures, scoring their closing factors on Aaron Gordon’s layup with 1:19 left.

Gordon performed bodily protection towards Wembanyama, knocking the 7-foot-3 rookie to the court docket previous to an inbounds within the first half. No foul was referred to as. A annoyed Wembanyama was later referred to as for his second technical foul of the season.

“ what motivated me, when he fell on the ground and Gordon was taking a look at him,” Mamukelashvili mentioned. “If I used to be on the court docket, I’d get a tech. I’m telling you proper now. I used to be joyful I used to be sitting on the bench, and I didn’t go on the court docket as a result of that’s $25,000 that I don’t have.”

Up subsequent

Nuggets: At Memphis on Sunday night time.

Spurs: Host Detroit on Sunday night time.