San Antonio Spurs: 3 takeaways from Game 2 loss vs. Nuggets

3. Spurs have to slow the Nuggets down

When the Nuggets were working in the half-court, as they were for much of the first half, they couldn’t get anything going. The Spurs’ set defense was keeping them from using the athleticism of their young guards, and it limited the effectiveness of the passes that center Nikola Jokic could whip around the floor. During the season, the Nuggets were 15th in the NBA in fast break points per game. They’ve “improved” this postseason to 12th, but that’s due to fewer teams being in the pool.

Denver was able to outrun the Spurs because, as much as the Nuggets aren’t the best team in transition, the Spurs are even worse. San Antonio ranked 28th in the NBA in fast break points per game. It prefers to operate in the half-court to break opposing defenses down. With players like DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge that can win in those sets, you can do that. Denver doesn’t really have those guys.

Late in the game, during Murray’s flurry of points, he was bringing the ball down and pulling up 3-pointers or driving hard to the basket. The Spurs can’t let that happen. They have to get back on defense rather than hitting the boards for offensive rebounds. For three quarters of basketball, they kept the Nuggets in check with that style of defense. If they can do that again in Game 3, it should be a good recipe for a win.