Spurs fall to Nuggets, 132-126

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) shoots against Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kim Klement/Pool Photo via AP)
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) shoots against Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kim Klement/Pool Photo via AP)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 132-126 on Wednesday.

Nikola Jokic added 25 points and 11 assists. Jerami Grant finished with 22 points.

Two days after posting a career-high 37 points in Denver's win over Oklahoma City, Porter stayed hot, scoring 10 of the Nuggets' first 16 points against San Antonio.

Denver (45-23) led by as many as 12 in the first half before falling behind by nine in the third quarter. But the Nuggets found their footing in the final period, using a 13-4 run to nudge back in front 110-101 with 5:42 to play.

San Antonio, which started the day two games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in the West, dropped to 2-2 since the restart.

Rudy Gay scored 24 points and Derrick White added 23 points and seven assists for the Spurs (29-38).

Denver played short-handed for the third straight game with Jamal Murray (left hamstring), Will Barton (left knee soreness) and Gary Harris (strained right hip) all out.

Still, coach Michael Malone said even with a playoff spot already secure, he wanted to see his team build good habits over its final games before the start of the playoffs.

The Nuggets showed some of that urgency at the outset, sprinting out to a 16-4 lead and prompting Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to pull his entire starting lineup.

Denver continued to lead for most of the first half before San Antonio surged in the second quarter, connecting on four 3-pointers. The Spurs went 7 of 16 from beyond the arc in the opening 24 minutes and took a 65-62 lead into halftime.

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Torrey Craig left the game with a bloodied mouth at the 2:30 mark of the second quarter after being smacked in the face by San Antonio's Drew Eubanks as he spun underneath the basket. Eubanks received a flagrant foul on the play. Craig returned to the game.

Spurs: Marco Belinelli was available after missing two straight games with a left foot sprain but did not play.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Play Portland on Thursday

Spurs: Play Utah on Friday

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