Devonte' Graham Hits Game-Winner, San Antonio Spurs Rally to Stun Denver Nuggets

Devonte' Graham hit the game-winning floater and the San Antonio Spurs came from 23 down in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Apr 9, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte' Graham (4) / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The San Antonio Spurs had hung tough with the Denver Nuggets in all three meetings prior to Friday night's matchup at the Frost Bank Center, but finally broke through against the defending champs in a thrilling finish.

Spurs guard Devonte' Graham scored the final four points, including a game-winning floater with 0.9 left, and Victor Wembanyama had a team-high 32 as San Antonio rallied from 23 down in the second half to stun Denver for a 121-120 win. The loss for the Nuggets (56-25) knocked them down into a three-way tie for the No. 1 seed in the West ahead of the regular-season finale for the NBA on Sunday.

Apr 12, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Wembanyama exploded in the third quarter to help spark San Antonio's comeback, scoring 17 points in the period and hitting four 3s. The Spurs (21-60) then trailed by 17 with 9:35 to play in the fourth, but got a fourth quarter from Sandro Mamukelashvili (21 points, 12 rebounds) to get back within striking distance before Graham scored seven of San Antonio's final nine points.

The Nuggets got big games from Nikola Jokic (22 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists) and Jamal Murray (35 points). Both stars were on fire throughout and hit some timely shots late, but the Spurs answered each tough bucket with one of their own. Murray was tasked with inbounding the ball for the potential game-winner with 0.9 left. The shot never came though, as Murray, despite his huge night scoring-wise, committed a five-second call to seal the win for San Antonio.

In the fourth quarter, the Spurs used a 9-0 run to cut the lead to eight at 107-99 with 7:30 to play. After Murray hit a tough turnaround jumper to beat the shot clock, San Antonio answered with a Champagnie triple and another lay-in from Mamukelashvili make it a five-point game with 5:59 left.

After a dunk from Wemby, Mamukelashvili and Graham both nailed crucial 3-pointers to keep the comeback alive. Graham's game-winner then gave the Spurs their first lead since the second quarter.

The Spurs will wrap up their season on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons.