Inside The Spurs

Three Key Stats that Led to San Antonio’s Win Against Denver

The San Antonio Spurs and their budding superstar Victor Wembanyama handed three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets a 113-110 loss.

Taylor Hodges

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battles for a loose ball with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the third quarter at Ball Arena.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battles for a loose ball with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the third quarter at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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If Victor Wembanyama is going to become the NBA’s next big star, he’ll see plenty of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on the court in future games.

Wembanyama and the Spurs notched a 113-110 Friday against Jokic and the Denver Nuggets that brought the Spurs to within three wins of last season’s total wins (21). Wembanyama matched Jokic’s impact on the game, but it was the other San Antonio players that helped propel themselves to a three-point win.

READ MORE: Wembanyama Leads Spurs Past Nuggets in Nail-Biting Victory

Here are three stats that explain how San Antonio defeated Denver:

46.9

That was the Spurs’ field goal percentage against the Nuggets, who ended the game with 42.9 percentage. San Antonio was just more efficient in its shooting, including when it mattered. Denver missed two field goals in the final 37 seconds that would’ve given it a win. Also, in a fun coincidence, both teams shot 98 field goal attempts, but the Spurs made 46 of theirs and the Nuggets made 42.

35-18-4-2

That’s how many points, rebounds, assists and blocks Wembanyama had Friday night. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jovic had more points, but Wembanyama was more efficient posting a 66.7 field goal percentage to Jokic’s 41.7. Jokic and Wembanyama had the same number of rebounds and Jokic had more assists (nine) while Wembanyama had more blocks (two).

14

That’s how many turnovers the Spurs had against the Nuggets. San Antonio forced only eight turnovers by the Nuggets. Every possession matters in a close game and the Spurs are luck this stat didn’t lead to a loss.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

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