Denver (13-13) gained an emphatic split with San Antonio (9-16) in its mini-series with the rested squad regaining its defensive legs and shooting touch. The visitors leveraged a 44 point second period and 30-point advantage from behind-the-arc to stun the Spurs and salt away a comfortable road victory.
Both teams traded leads throughout the opening quarter. The Nuggets, missing a lineup’s worth of contributors (Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Jr., Will Barton, and P.J. Dozier), behind blistering shooting from unheralded reserves Bones Hyland and Markus Howard, seized an advantage that they did not relinquish for the final quarters.
Aaron Gordon (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Monte Morris (19 points and 4 assists), Howard (21 points), and Hyland (16 points) supported a dominant peformance by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (35 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 assists) in the blowout.