Spurs barely hold off Nuggets

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the visiting Denver Nuggets 104-103 on Monday to capture their third straight victory. San Antonio led by 21 points in the second quarter and by 17 with 9:10 to go in the game, but Denver got within four points with 1:41 to play on a Will Barton 3-pointer.

Jamal Murray then canned a 3-pointer with 49.6 seconds left to cut the Spurs' lead to 104-103. DeRozan missed a driving layup with 29.3 seconds to play before Murray missed a 3-point try with 16.2 to play. The ball was knocked out of bounds off a Spurs player, giving the Nuggets a chance to win. Murray missed again with 8.4 seconds to go, but the rebound bounced off the leg of San Antonio's Rudy Gay, allowing the Nuggets a third opportunity for victory. This time, the Spurs forced a turnover and Gay was fouled, but he missed both of the ensuing free throws, granting Denver a fourth opportunity at the victory.

Gary Harris missed a jumper at the buzzer, and the Spurs escaped with the win. Gay hit for 14 points, and Derrick White tallied 11 for San Antonio, which has won seven in a row at home.

Murray led the Nuggets with 25 points, and Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, which has lost three games in a row. Malik Beasley added 15 points, Will Barton had 12, and Paul Millsap grabbed 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. The Spurs assumed control in the early minutes and led 36-17 after the first quarter. San Antonio built its advantage to 21 points on a Marco Belinelli jumper a minute into the second period, but Denver slowly got back into the game, cutting the deficit to 58-48 at halftime.

Aldridge led all scorers with 17 points in the first half while DeRozan added 11 for San Antonio. Jokic paced the Nuggets with 14 points at the half on 7-of-9 shooting. Denver made its run at the Spurs in the middle of the third quarter, pulling within 67-64 on a Harris 3-pointer with 6:06 to play.

--Field Level Media