National Basketball Association
San Antonio 109, Denver 98
When: 8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Officials: #19 James Capers, #75 CJ Washington, #71 Rodney Mott
Attendance: 18418

SAN ANTONIO -- The stat sheet for the San Antonio Spurs' 109-98 win against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday shows just how far the Nuggets have come from last season. But it also shows how far they still have to go before they can beat a team with the Spurs' balance and poise, especially down the stretch.

Guard Tony Parker poured in a season-high 25 points, and forward Kawhi Leonard added 20 points as the Spurs outshot Denver Nuggets and collected their sixth consecutive victory.

Denver had as many rebounds (50) as the Spurs, had seven more offensive boards (17) than normally glass-hungry San Antonio (10) and had more points in the paint (52-42), more second-chance points (17-6) and more fast-break points (16-12) than the Spurs.

But San Antonio outshot the Nuggets 48.8 percent to 38.8 percent and had five players in double-figure scoring for the fourth straight game.

"I go to sleep every night hoping we will play like the Spurs," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "They're in the top five in so many categories and they just don't make mistakes or beat themselves. I look at the stat sheet and it shows we could have won the game if we would have shot better."

The Nuggets stayed within shouting distance early in the fourth quarter as forward Kenneth Faried hit for two baskets and a free throw and guard Jameer Nelson added a driving jumper. However, Leonard went to the rim for a layup off a feed by forward David West and then hit a long 3-pointer to put the game out of reach.

The Spurs (9-2) moved to 5-0 at home this season.

San Antonio got 17 points from reserve guard Patty Mills. Forward Tim Duncan scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

"My teammates did a great job of setting picks for me and it was easy to choose when to shoot and when to pass," Parker said. "We have a lot of new guys and they try to do their best and fit. We know that if we take care of the ball we have a good chance to win the game."

Denver (6-6) was led by reserve center Nikola Jokic's 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Nuggets got 15 points apiece from Faried and guard Gary Harris, while their leading scorer, forward Danilo Gallinari, hit for just nine points.

San Antonio led 31-24 at the end of the first quarter behind eight points from Mills and 50 percent shooting from the floor. The Nuggets got nine points in the period by Harris and got seven points off eight offensive rebounds, a rarity against San Antonio's dominant and long frontcourt players.

The Spurs posted a season-high in first-half scoring (65 points), field-goal percentage (58.5 percent) and 3-point field-goal percentage (75 percent) but led by just seven points at halftime as Denver scored 34 points in the paint.

"Our defense has to travel with us every game and it didn't in the second quarter last night (in a 115-98 win at New Orleans) and it didn't in the whole first half tonight," Malone said.

Nine players, led by Jokic's 12 points, scored for the Nuggets before halftime, and 10 players -- paced by Parker's 15 points (11 in the second quarter) -- lit the scoreboard for the Spurs.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said the Nuggets hurt the Spurs on the glass, especially in the second half, when Denver scored 15 points via offensive rebounds. "In the second half (Denver) got two," he said. "The guys did a much better job."

Parker kept up his scoring binge in the early third quarter, hitting three baskets in a two-minute stretch to help give the Spurs an 81-66 lead, their biggest of the game. By quarter's end, San Antonio already had four of its starters with 10 points or more.

Gallinari managed just five points through the first three quarters, but the attention he drew from the Spurs' big men inside allowed Faried and Jokic some room to work and score.

"My performance really doesn't matter because we lost," Jokic said. "We had a really bad game -- they scored 109 points and that's too much. They had too many open shots. We must do better on defense."

NOTES: After scoring 17 points (14 in the fourth quarter) in the Spurs' 96-80 win against Portland on Monday, guard Mano Ginobili will miss San Antonio's next two games with bilateral hip tightness. He will be re-evaluated prior to Saturday's game vs. Memphis. ... The Spurs were 4-0 against Denver in 2014-15. ... San Antonio held the Nuggets to an NBA record-low three points in the first quarter on Nov. 27, 2002. ... Denver C Joffrey Lauvergne and San Antonio G Tony Parker and F Boris Diaw are teammates on the French national team. ... Nuggets F Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 32 points Tuesday in Denver's 115-98 win at New Orleans. Gallinari has had six 20-plus point games this season and has scored in double figures in nine of the Nuggets' 11 outings. ... Denver shot a season-best 52.9 percent in the win against New Orleans and is 4-0 when shooting 50 percent or better this year.
Top Game Performances
 
Denver   San Antonio
Nikola Jokic 23 Scoring Tony Parker 25
Emmanuel Mudiay 7 Assists Tony Parker 9
Nikola Jokic 12 Rebounds LaMarcus Aldridge 12
Nikola Jokic 6 Free Throws Made Tony Parker 7
Gary Harris 2 Steals Kawhi Leonard 2
Nikola Jokic 3 Blocks Tim Duncan 6
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 98 38.8 5-15 17-18 25 50 5 7 6
San Antonio 109 48.8 9-18 16-20 33 50 13 5 10
Upcoming Games
  • San Antonio will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Spurs have a W/L % of .778 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .667 after a loss.