They hit 5-19 shots and dished out a paltry two assists, while the Spurs jumped out to a commanding 31-15 lead behind 13-25 shooting and 10 assists as a team. The Nuggets looked unfocused and and impotent in the first quarter. At the outset of the game, he could find little of either. Nene (calf) and Danilo Gallinari (back) sat out, and star point guard Ty Lawson (ankle) added his name to the inactive list just hours before the game, so George Karl turned to the 10 remaining active players for effort and energy. In any case, San Antonio dispatched the Nuggets with relative ease.ĭenver limped into the All-Star break and had to compete with a skeleton crew against the Spurs. Wait, what? Popovich rolled over for Portland and willingly snapped an 11-game winning streak on Tuesday, all in the name of proper rest, and then marched his most important vets back onto the court for big minutes two nights later? Sure, the Portland game was the second of a back-to-back, but the decision initially felt more like a calculated long-term strategy, rather than a short con to take down the depleted and downtrodden Nuggets. Duncan played 29 minutes and produced 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, and Parker logged 35 minutes on his way to a 16-point, 12-assist double-double, as the Spurs collected a comfortable 114-99 win. Greg Popovich elected to sit both players on Tuesday, and the Spurs lost to the Portland Trail Blazers by 40 points, then he abruptly decided to reinsert the duo into the starting lineup against the Denver Nuggets, rather than rest them through the All-Star break. The San Antonio Spurs wrapped up their annual rodeo road trip - a nine-game journey for 2012 - in Denver on Thursday night, but veteran centerpieces Tony Parker and Tim Duncan looked well-rested.

Spurs vs nuggets score