After a disappointing loss in Game 2, the San Antonio Spurs came back home in hopes of taking back the series lead against the Denver Nuggets.
The No. 7 seed of the NBA playoffs aren’t supposed to be this dangerous, but the San Antonio Spurs are no usual No. 7 seed. This is a Gregg Popovich-led team that was making the playoffs before even some of these players were born.
The Denver Nuggets did not have a lot of luck going into this game in the AT&T Center as they hadn’t beat the Spurs in San Antonio in 13 games straight entering Game 3. The Spurs jumped out to a big lead right away thanks to one Derrick White, ending the first quarter with a nine-point lead.
However, that lead soon evaporated as the Nuggets went on a big run to start the second quarter, swinging a 31-22 hole to a 38-31 lead in a matter of minutes, hitting seven of their first eight shots in the frame.
The second half was standard fare for both teams. The Spurs held a three-point lead after halftime, but the Nuggets did their best to chip away at it. White didn’t do much offensively in the third quarter, but that is where DeRozan was able to shine as he scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half.
Denver challenged San Antonio multiple times in the second half, but could never wrestle the lead away and the Spurs claimed victory 118 to 108. What can we learn about the Spurs after taking the series lead again against the Nuggets? Here are three takeaways.