Kawhi Leonard, Spurs drop Nuggets as Denver loses fifth straight

When the San Antonio Spurs announced prior to the game that they were resting starting forward Tim Duncan and guard Manu Ginobili in tonight’s contest at the onset of a three-game-in-four-night stretch, a win to end this four-game losing streak against one of the NBA’s best seemed like a legitimate possibility.

However, in the midst of a first quarter that ended with the Spurs and Nuggets tied up at 16 a piece, it was already apparent how the flow and pace of this game would go against a Spurs team which plays at the league’s 26th slowest pace entering tonight.

After a 12-0 Spurs run to close the first half, which included nine of Tony Parker‘s 13 total points on the night, San Antonio never loosened their grasp on this game and won going away 91-80. As the Nugget drew closer to within one with 4:10 to go in the second half, the Spurs struck with another eerily similar run.

“Too many ups and down [and] peaks and valleys,” head coach Michael Malone said. “When we hit adversity we don’t handle it very well. A 6-0 run becomes a 12-0 run, so we have to be a lot more mentally tough. We have to find a way to play for 48 minutes. It’s not a 30 minute game. It’s not high school anymore. You have to play for 48 [minutes] and until we do that we’re going to continue to lose.”

Danilo Gallinari lead the Nuggets with 16 point on 5-15 shooting from the field and finished with 10 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the year. He did that while being hounded by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who Denver wasn’t able to consistently detach from Gallinari throughout the night.

Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay struggled. He finished 3-14 shooting for just nine points in nearly 29 minutes. Mudiay has failed to shoot above 40 percent in his last three games, all losses for the Nuggets. Like his coach, Mudiay did his best to pinpoint where the Nuggets struggles have originated.

“I think it’s awareness and at the same time it’s not dropping your head after a team goes on a run,” Mudiay said. “When they go on a run it seems like collectively as a group, we just drop our head instead of picking our heads up and going on [with] the next play.”

Fellow rookie Nikola Jokic was marred by early foul trouble, three of which came by the way of illegal screens and he only logged 12 minutes on the night, finishing with just six p0ints on 3-4 shooting. Will Barton and Jameer Nelson each chipped in 12 points off the bench, Barton did however finish with five costly turnovers.

Tonight was the Nuggets fifth straight loss and third straight time wearing their white sleeved jerseys; both streaks that desperately need to end.

WHERE/WHEN

Pepsi Center, Denver, CO / Nov. 27 2015 / Game No. 16

STAR OF THE GAME

Gallinari finished with 16 points, which led Denver, but was visibly frustrated and hounded by Leonard  throughout the night. Only on a few occasions were the Nuggets able to successfully free Gallo or force a Spurs switch to get him away from Leonard. The few times they were able to do so, Gallinari was effective, when they weren’t, Denver’s offense regressed to the stagnant state it remains in.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME

The Spurs 12-0 run at the end of the first half, put the Nuggets in the hole and a 7-0 Spurs run at the 4:10 mark in the third quarter when the Nuggets trailed by just two put Denver away for good.

“Were down two with 4:10 to go in the third quarter,” Malone said. “I don’t mind the effort. We’re in the game. It’s just our inability finish is a cancer. We miss more layups than anytime I’ve been around. Our inability to make open shots is a concern.”

BY THE NUMBERS

This was the Nuggets fifth straight loss and the Spurs eight straight win over the Nuggets. Continuing the theme of poor shooting, Denver shot 40.3 percent from the field, but did shoot a respectable 36.4 percent from three.

Leonard was impressive tonight. He led all scorers with 25 points and had seven rebounds, six assists, five blocks and four steals. According to Nuggets public relations, he is the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon to have at least 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and four steals in a single game.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“I said the same thing before and after the game, [we need to play consistently for] 48 minutes. Until we do that, we will keep on piling up the losses.” – Michael Malone

WHAT’S NEXT

Denver heads out on a five-game road trip where they will visit Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto and Philadelphia. After their longest road trip so far this season, their schedule does lighten up a bit. The Nuggets host Orlando, Minnesota, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers in the coming weeks.