Game Blog: Nuggets @ Spurs - 19.11.08

[timvp]

Not a bad loss. Defense wasn't as good as it's been, the three-pointers were falling and the Spurs sent the Nuggets to the line way too much. The Spurs need to play really good basketball to win and that just didn't happen tonight.

Good news is Duncan got some rest, Hill got good run to start figuring out the NBA and Bonner stayed out of the doghouse for another game.

A win would have been excellent but if you are going to lose, it could have been much worse.

[duncan228]

Final: Nuggets 91, Spurs 81

FOURTH QUARTER

The Chauncey Billups-led Nuggets rolled to a 91-81 victory Wednesday, snapping the Spurs' three-game win streak.

The Spurs had been winning with defense and held their previous six opponents below 90 points.

Billups paced the Nuggets with 22 points and six assists and Carmelo Anthony had 21 points. Nuggets big men Kenyon Martin and Nene combined for 34 points and 16 rebounds.

George Hill led the Spurs with 20 points. He scored 10 points in the last eight minutes of the game.

Tim Duncan finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Michael Finley had 13 points. Neither played in the fourth quarter.

Some of the young Spurs are playing hard down the stretch, but the Nuggets have pretty much put this out of reach. Denver leads 87-73 with 3:11 left.

The Spurs went with another unusual group of players midway through the fourth quarter: George Hill, Blake Ahearn, Roger Mason Jr., Anthony Tolliver and Matt Bonner - giving them five players on the floor who can all shoot 3-pointers.

The Spurs opened the fourth quarter with Jacque Vaughn, Ime Udoka, Bruce Bowen, Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto. The unlikely combination brought the team some energy and defense and an 8-0 run to start the quarter.

THIRD QUARTER

The Nuggets outscored the Spurs 11-1 to end the third quarter and take a 75-54 lead. Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen combined to miss four of five free throws during the stretch. The Spurs' last basket of the quarter came with 3:26 left.

Matt Bonner has chipped in two baskets in the third quarter but the Spurs aren't cutting into the Nuggets' lead very much. Denver is in front 64-53 with 2:29 left in the third quarter.

George Hill is starting to get into the scoring for the Spurs and has 10 points. The Spurs are shooting just under 33 percent and the Nuggets are leading 58-46 midway through the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

Denver big men Kenyon Martin had 12 points and Nene had 11 to carry the Nuggets to a 50-40 halftime lead. The Nuggets had a 15-11 rebounding advantage in the second quarter and led by as many as 11 points.

Michael Finley led the Spurs with 13 points.

Just when it looked like the Spurs weren't playing with enough energy to keep up, Finley hit a jumper and George Hill scored on a fast break on back-to-back possessions.

The Nuggets have led by as many as nine points early in the second quarter. They're in front 36-29 with 5:02 left in the half.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run to surge ahead 31-25.

FIRST QUARTER

Michael Finley had eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Nene had seven points to help the Nuggets grab a 22-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Denver's Carmelo Anthony has two early 3-pointers, the second giving the Nuggets a 14-11 lead. Michael Finley already has two baskets for the Spurs.

PREGAME

New Nuggets guard Chauncey Bill walked over to the Spurs bench and chatted with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for about a minute just before tipoff.

Spurs starters: George Hill, Roger Mason Jr., Michael Finley, Tim Duncan and Fabricio Oberto. This is the same starting lineup the Spurs used Sunday against the Clippers and both Mason and Finley had big games.

The Spurs have won three in a row. The Nuggets have won six of seven since Chauncey Billups joined their lineup. The Spurs and Nuggets meet tonight at the AT&T Center.

Tim Duncan has been a force at both ends for the Spurs in the absence of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Duncan has been especially strong down the stretch. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter on Nov. 12 against the Bucks and has made key defensive plays late in games.

The Nuggets are playing more defense this year - at least by their standard. They are allowing their opponents 97.7 points per game, after allowing 107.0 points last season, 103.7 in 2006-07 and 100.1 in 05-06.

- Joe Alexander, mySanAntonio.com

[milkyway21]

reality check.

I still think if TP and Manu are around we can still win over these guys.

about:
Tim Duncan finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Michael Finley had 13 points. Neither played in the fourth quarter.

good move Pop.

[xellos88330]

Spurs offense could never get in a rythym. Too many whistles.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Did anyone else realize they were hacking duncan on one end, and getting ticky fack fouls on the other? In SAN ANTONIO. This is the first bad called game I've seen all year. It is quite lame to see Chauncey go for his 10th free throw, and all these Offensive fouls called on us, while Duncan continues to get his forearms crushed by swatters.

[timvp]

Oh and Billups is a bad azz. He turned the Nuggets into the Pistons of the West almost overnight. Great player.

That said, I can't wait for the first time he has to guard Parker all game. Beating up on the Spurs suddenly won't be so easy

[timvp]

Did anyone else realize they were hacking duncan on one end, and getting ticky fack fouls on the other? In SAN ANTONIO. This is the first bad called game I've seen all year. It is quite lame to see Chauncey go for his 10th free throw, and all these Offensive fouls called on us, while Duncan continues to get his forearms crushed by swatters.

Looked like they were letting the bigs play but were calling it close on the perimeter. The Spurs didn't have the personnel to adjust to how the refs were calling it.

[z0sa]

Not a bad loss. Defense wasn't as good as it's been, the three-pointers were falling and the Spurs sent the Nuggets to the line way too much. The Spurs need to play really good basketball to win and that just didn't happen tonight.

Good news is Duncan got some rest, Hill got good run to start figuring out the NBA and Bonner stayed out of the doghouse for another game.

A win would have been excellent but if you are going to lose, it could have been much worse.

For only losing by ten points with the Nuggets starters out there til 1:23 left in the game, I'm not afraid of the new-look nuggets oncesoever.

just wait til we got TP and Manu back

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Looked like they were letting the bigs play but were calling it close on the perimeter. The Spurs didn't have the personnel to adjust to how the refs were calling it.

That's basically how they've called all spurs games for the past two seasons.

[xtremesteven33]

MANU is the Official Nuggets Killer.....i think George Karl still has nightmares about that guy...haha

[Phonzie20]

not discouraged by this loss tonight, Denver just has an incredible team now, their offense and defensive game is sick, the Spurs defense could only hold them so much before the pressure grew to score some buckets.

I've been a Nugget fan long enough to disagree with this but they are really proving me (many of us) wrong.

I did not expect this.

[xellos88330]

I think Hill needs to take it in the lane more often.

[xtremesteven33]

yea im not upset about this loss.

We got to .500 which is what i didnt expect at all. A Utah win on Friday would make up for this loss and more.....

We are exactly where we want to be with these injuries right now....

[Phonzie20]

MANU is the Official Nuggets Killer.....i think George Karl still has nightmares about that guy...haha

Teh Manu can NEVAR lose. I stand by that.

[pawe]

Nuggets are good right now but i still hate that punk kmart.

[xtremesteven33]

Teh Manu can NEVAR lose. I stand by that.

yea i just remember Karl giving looks of despair everytime Manu made the Nuggets defense look Ivy league.....which they are

[xtremesteven33]

Nuggets are good right now but i still hate that punk kmart.

[alchemist]

reality check.

I still think if TP and Manu are around we can still win over these guys.

absolutely because with TP and Manu playing it would force them to play defense on them as well instead of solely on Timmy.

With that said, they are clearly a better team with Billups than with Iverson, they will be a nightmare to handle in the playoffs.

[milkyway21]

regarding fouls.

let's see if the Nuggets gets the same treatment when they play against LAL. Watched LA game vs Houston -lots of un- called fouls against Yao there. Watch out Denver.

[Phonzie20]

Nuggets are good right now but i still hate that punk kmart.

i wanted Manu over K-Mart. We all know that wasn't going to happen.

[tp2021]

MANU is the Official Nuggets Killer.....i think George Karl still has nightmares about that guy...haha

Until he sends his patsy Melo to try and take him out.

But if Ditka can't stop Manu, Melo won't.

[ducks]

He's been carrying this team. He's human, he's probably fatigued. He gets hacked without getting calls a lot. He got frustrated. Big deal. It's not a Playoff game, we'll survive.

he has played games where he has been worried about the refs with a healthy manu and tp


yes he is human but it was not like he was just missing
he was to worried about the refs

I can live with the misses

[Phonzie20]

regarding fouls.

let's see if the Nuggets gets the same treatment when they play against LAL. Watched LA game vs Houston -lots of un- called fouls against Yao there. Watch out Denver.

i know. it's going to be painful.

they will be favored by the calls. This team is surprising me though. Detroit did it.

[SAtown]

I never thought starting a game thread would cause such a dicussion. You don't have to worry about me starting one next time

It's all in good fun

[ducks]

No, I dont think that would be a good idea, but picking up Williams from NJ or Mims from LA ( if he is healthy) or Darko.....just anyone who can move on both ends of the floor and rebound and play D. Thomas is stuck in mud and Oberto just looks like he is the designated passer out there!

did you read the ludden article
no one wants the spurs scrubs

you want to trade mason?