Denver Nuggets: 3 takeaways from big Game 7 win vs. Spurs

With a heart-pounding victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7, the Denver Nuggets advanced to the second round of the 2019 NBA playoffs.

Everything was touch-and-go for a few minutes late in the fourth quarter, but the Denver Nuggets managed to do what most thought they couldn’t. They conquered the San Antonio Spurs in a 90-86 defensive slugfest in Game 7, advancing to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2009.

Neither squad had anything going right on the offensive end in this elimination game. Denver shot just 39.8 percent overall, hitting only two of its 20 attempts from beyond the arc. The Spurs converted on 36.5 percent of their field goal attempts and were just 6-of-23 from the 3-point line in defeat.

San Antonio never led in this game, falling behind by as many as 17 before a spirited fourth quarter comeback pulled it to within two points with less than a minute to go. A Jamal Murray running floater put Denver up by four and a blocked shot by Torrey Craig on DeMar DeRozan sealed the deal for good.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1122364243024564224

Despite his inconsistent play all series long, Murray stepped up big-time with a game-high 23 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. Nikola Jokic showed off his usual all-around brilliance with a triple-double of 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Spurs saw both DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge struggle when they were needed most. The All-Stars combined for 35 points on a sub-40 percent shooting performance. Bryn Forbes helped keep San Antonio in the game, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

The Nuggets will now welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to town for Game 1 of their second round matchup on Monday evening. The Blazers are coming off their own impressive series victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. To stifle that momentum, Denver will have to expand on its best win the team has had this decade.