Nuggets Coach Michael Malone Admits Playing Spurs at Moody Center Has 'Preseason' Feel

The Spurs and Nuggets played against each other on Friday night at Moody Center in part of a two-game stretch in Austin.

The San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets played at Moody Center in Austin, marking the first of a two-game "I-35 Series" in the capital of Texas. 

Before the Nuggets defeated the Spurs with a final score of 117-106, Denver coach Michael Malone admitted to reporters his confusion regarding the venue of this game. Nikola Jokic stole the show with 31 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, with Denver having six total double-figure scorers. 

“I really don’t even know why we’re here. I’m still trying to figure that out,” Malone said before the game. “But we are here. So you’ve gotta embrace it.”

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Malone described the vibe of playing at Moody Center — the home of University of Texas basketball — as having a "preseason feel." He expressed the importance of players staying focused and treating it as any typical game. 

“It has a preseason feel to it,” Malone said. “I hope for our players that once the jump ball goes up that we understand this is not the preseason, this is a real game. We have to lock in and give it the attention and respect that it deserves.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a more favorable take on the team playing in Austin, highlighting the change of venue, which can be welcoming in the flow of an 82-game season where traditionally, 41 games are played in the same building. 

“It’s kind of fun. It’s kind of a one-off. It’s different," Popovich said. "And as the year goes on, it’s a lot of games. It’s a lot of travel. And all of a sudden, playing in a different venue is, I think, kind of fun.”

Nuggets, Jokic Pull Away For Win vs. Spurs in Austin

The Spurs played multiple games outside of AT&T Center last season, including a game at the Alamodome, one in Mexico City in part of the NBA Global Games initiative, along with one at Moody Center. The team plans to continue 

“I think the Spurs organization just wants to expand the territory,” Popovich told reporters in April of 2023. “We live here in this region...all the way from Mexico, all the way up to here. And...we’d like to...spread that experience that we’ve had with the Spurs into another area because we haven’t been up here. 

"But to do that, we’ve got to make the effort to be seen and to get up here and play some games," Popovich explained. "And I think, you know, we’ll do that I think, every year now. I don’t think. I know. And so this is a start of that.”

Looking ahead, the Spurs will face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, March 17, completing the second part of the "I-35 Series" in Austin.