Free Throw Troubles Cost San Antonio Spurs in Loss vs. Denver Nuggets

The San Antonio Spurs missed eight free throws in a five-point loss against the Denver Nuggets.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 3, 2024

Apr 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) controls the ball / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are likely going to practice their free throws a little more after a 110-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Both teams took 16 free throw attempts on Tuesday night, but the Spurs only made eight compared to the Nuggets' 13. In a 110-105 loss, that was all the difference for the Spurs.

Apr 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks the shot / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

"We missed some easy ones for sure, myself included," point guard Tre Jones said. "That is just how it goes sometimes; we shot 50 percent from the free-throw line. I think that is the main thing that killed us tonight, it was not necessarily shots not falling and whatnot. If we take care of free throws, the game could definitely fall our way."

While the Spurs should be frustrated about losing a close game when it came down to free throws, the team is still upbeat about competing against one of the better teams in the NBA on the road.

"You know, everyone is not good, we lost," Malaki Branham said. "But Pop [Coach Gregg Popovich] said we played great, a few mistakes. We shot 50 percent from the free-throw line. Missed a couple of easy ones. Just stuff like that trickled down at the end of the game. It is a work in progress. We have been building towards this right now, just got to keep building."

In the grand scheme of things, the loss isn't major. The Spurs are rebuilding, and they would have beaten a Finals contender on the road if they just made a few more free throws. So overall, the team continues to grow, and perhaps a game like this will teach them how important it is to connect on those opportunities from the charity stripe.

The Spurs are back in action on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

Published Apr 3, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.