March 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) in the first half at Frostbank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Jamal Murray poured in 39 points, Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 31 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists, and the visiting Denver Nuggets overcame a 20-point deficit to beat the underdog San Antonio Spurs 136-131 on Thursday.
Spurs played without Victor Wembanyama, who sat out with right ankle soreness. It was Wembanya Ma’s first game missed since January 3, when the Spurs lost 115-110 at home to Portland. San Antonio is 10-5 without him this season.
The exhausted Nuggets, playing their second game on the home road, didn’t arrive in the Alamo City until Thursday morning, but they ended up being the stronger team, outscoring San Antonio 42-25 in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs led by 16 points at halftime and by 12 after three quarters when Denver went on an 11-0 run on Julian Strawther’s 3-pointer with 9:17 left. The Nuggets took their first lead when Murray’s stepback 3-pointer made it 121-119 with 4:39 left.
Two more Murray jumpers pushed Denver’s advantage to six points, and Cameron Johnson’s 3-pointer with 3:02 left (Jokic’s 12th assist) made it 14-0 and gave the Nuggets a lead they would not relinquish.
The loss snapped Spurs’ five-game winning streak, but they have still won 16 of their last 18 games.
Spencer Jones added 19 points for Denver, Johnson had 15, Christian Brown had 11 and Strother had 10.
Stephen Castle led San Antonio with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, achieving his third career triple-double. De’Aaron Fox added 27 points, Harrison Barnes 20, Devin Vassell 18, Dylan Harper 13 and Carter Bryant 10.
The Spurs led 37-25 after the first quarter despite Jokic’s 12 points.
San Antonio took a 20-point lead with 4:29 left in the second period, and the Nuggets cut the deficit to 60-51 on two Murray free throws with 1:37 left. The Spurs went into the break leading 69-53.
Jokic led all players with 17 points and 11 rebounds before halftime, but was the only Denver player to score more than nine points. Castle led the Spurs with 15 points, with Vassell adding 12 and Barnes scoring 10 in his return after missing five games with an ankle injury.
–Field level media
