DENVER — Harrison Barnes shone for the San Antonio Spurs by scoring 20 points, leading six players from his team to finish in double digits and helping secure a 113-106 victory over the depleted Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Jaylen Pickett, in only his second career start, made an impressive mark by achieving his first triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook garnered 30 points but notably failed to add any points in the fourth quarter. This highlighted a missed opportunity when he failed a crucial running reverse layup which could have tied the game with four and a half minutes left on the clock.
This misstep paralleled his previous night’s troubling performance when he missed an open breakaway layup and subsequently committed a foul with just 0.1 seconds remaining. This allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves a chance to clinch a 140-139 double-overtime victory.
After Westbrook’s error, Blake Wesley capitalized on a fast-break chance, which was quickly complemented by Sandro Mamukelashvili’s powerful dunk, pushing the Spurs ahead 105-99.
The Spurs benefited from the absence of their injured stars Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox and capitalized on Denver sitting all its starting players just a day after the strenuous loss to Minnesota.
Denver’s coach, Michael Malone, urged his bench players to perform at the starter’s level, stating, “Our identity isn’t just tied to our five starters. Our identity, our culture permeates the entire locker room.”
The Nuggets found themselves trailing by as much as 20 points during the first half and were down 66-54 at halftime.
They finally took the lead with Pickett’s decisive drive, which put Denver ahead 90-88 with 10:30 remaining.
**Takeaways**
*Spurs:* Although navigating a challenging season, San Antonio managed to secure two victories in Denver. Contributions from Chris Paul, who scored 17 points and nailed critical consecutive 3-pointers, helped propel San Antonio to a 101-95 advantage.
*Nuggets:* Despite the setback, Pickett’s standout performance and the team’s comeback efforts from a 59-39 deficit were notable positives.
**Key Moment**
Sandro Mamukelashvili’s steal from Westbrook with three seconds left in the first quarter was pivotal as he followed up with a slam to expand the Spurs’ lead to 33-21. This came off the heels of Westbrook’s fateful end on Tuesday night when he missed a critical layup and drew a late-game foul, giving the opponent an edge.
**Key Stat**
The Nuggets managed only two offensive rebounds in the first half, while the Spurs secured three.
**Up Next**
The Denver Nuggets are set to face the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, as the San Antonio Spurs will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.