The San Antonio Spurs rallied in the second half but it would not be enough to escape the Mile High City with a win as they fell 102-99 to the Denver Nuggets (22-11) at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.
San Antonio struggled in the first half and trailed by as many as 18 points in the game. The Spurs got things going in the third quarter as they outscored Denver 27-18 in the period to cut the deficit to three going into the final period.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick White, and DeMar DeRozan.
The Good:
- San Antonio rallied back after going down 18 in the game. This shows the growth of the team and the trust they have in each other. As the calendar moves to 2019, this is only going to help the Spurs as they seek to get back in the top eight in the West.
- Bryn Forbes had a solid night at the office, scoring 13 points and shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
The Bad:
- Free throws. Free Throws. Free Throws. The Spurs came into the game as the best free throw shooting team but they were 11-for-20 from the charity stripe on Friday. If San Antonio would have made the nine free throws, they would have won the game.
- San Antonio had trouble containing Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who combined for 52 points on the night.
Three Standout Players:
LaMarcus Aldridge:
The Spurs forward finished with 24 points on 11-for-22 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Aldridge did well in the paint against a physical Jokic and Plumlee, banging down low in the paint and hitting shots from the outside. On the defensive end, he got Jokic in foul trouble and made life as difficult as possible for him.
Derrick White:
The second-year guard put together another nice game on Friday, a little more than 48 hours after a nice outing at home against Denver.
White finished with 10 points, six rebounds, six steals, and three assists in 28 minutes of action. The Colorado native returned home and had himself one heck of a night. While the Spurs season is still a long way from being determined, White’s potential for next season and beyond has fans and media alike very optimistic.
DeMar DeRozan:
DeRozan quietly had a nice night on Friday, scoring 15 points on 50 percent shooting. He added five rebounds and five assists as well to the stat sheet.
After having a 30-point night on Wednesday, he did what he does best. He broke down the defense, finding players for open shots and freeing up Aldridge in the paint. He also fouled out Jokic in the final quarter, making him bite on the shot fake.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 19-17 on the season and will return to the court on Saturday night when they travel to face the LA Clippers (21-14) at 9:30 pm Central Time at the Staples Center.
