Live updates, tweets, photos, analysis and more from Game 2 between the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs at the Pepsi Center on April 16, 2019. Mobile users, if you can’t see the live blog, tap here.<doc-sep>We have a series. After trailing for most of the game and looking downright dejected at times, the Nuggets came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Spurs at home and tie things up at one win each. It’s hard to truly explain what happened on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center. The game had more twists and turns that the fourth installment of a horror movie franchise. Early on it seemed like the Spurs were going to blow out the Nuggets and take decisive control of the series. Denver was missing good looks, just like in the opening matchup, while DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge were hitting tough shots. The Nuggets looked positively shook as they fell behind by 18 points. It was not crazy to believe they would fold then and there. Instead coach Michael Malone got called for a technical foul which seemed to awaken his team. A 13-2 run followed and the only reason the Spurs weathered the storm and went into the break up 10 was because Derrick White carried them during that tough stretch. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see the home team finally asserting itself in the third quarter after figuring things out to close the first half. This game was too weird for that. The Spurs once again came out strong and built a substantial lead that reached 19 points with 4:28 to go in the third period. At that point Nikola Jokic was having a quiet scoring game while Jamal Murray had been an abject disaster, missing all seven of his shots. Paul Millsap, who had carried the offense for stretches in the first half, had four fouls. Things weren’t looking good for Denver, which of course rattled off a 16-4 run to close the quarter. Jokic dropped five points in that spell and the crowd got back into the game after previously booing the team. Going into the final period the Spurs still led by seven but anything seemed possible. The Blue Arrow puts us over the century mark! !#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/4Y4tlZyHBE — Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 17, 2019 It was fitting that Jamal Murray got insanely hot to close the game and give the Nuggets an unexpected win. This matchup deserved nothing but the most unthinkable ending. Murray, who had been bad enough during the first three quarters to be rightfully considered the main culprit if Denver lost, suddenly couldn’t miss. He went 8-for-9 from the field while Derrick White, who had outplayed him thoroughly for most of the game, could do nothing to counter him. DeMar DeRozan tried his best to keep the Spurs in it but his 10 fourth-quarter points simply weren’t enough as the mistakes piled on. After looking completely in control twice and holding off the Nuggets’ comeback attempts a few times, San Antonio just had no more answers. Gregg Popovich emptied his bench with 1:15 to go and down 10 points, essentially ending a bizarre night of playoff basketball. The game was so strange that it’s even hard to figure out how to react to it. In hindsight it seems like the Spurs’ hot shooting was just unsustainable and that it was a matter of time before guys as talented as Jokic and Murray figured things out, but during the game the comeback didn’t feel inevitable. It’s only fair to call what happened in the fourth quarter a collapse, but should it negate how dominant the Spurs looked at times? They lost a perfect opportunity to essentially close the series by not capitalizing on a night in which two of Denver’s starters — Murray and Will Barton — were actively harmful to their team’s chances for most of the game, but will return home with a series split and the knowledge that they were the superior team for seven of the first eight quarters played on the road. It’s a good thing there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs, because San Antonio will sure need some time to process what happened on Game 2. A closer look will surely reveal whether there was actually something they could have done differently. Right now it feels like it was just one of those nights, but if the Nuggets actually figured something out during that late run Pop might need to make some big adjustments. I can’t wait for Game 3 to provide some answers. Notes: The stars show up, the bench doesn’t The Spurs’ bench gave them an edge in Game 1 but couldn’t string together a second solid performance. The four core bench players combined for just 21 points on 23 shots. Rudy Gay suffered the biggest drop-off in production, going from 14 points in nine shots to just five in the same number of attempts. San Antonio managed to survive for most of the night without much bench scoring because LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan were more effective than they were in Game 1. Those two combined for 55 points after scoring just 33 points in the opening matchup of the series. Hopefully both the stars and the bench will show up for Game 3. Too many live ball turnovers and bad transition defense The Spurs had just 10 turnovers in Game 2, but they cost them a whopping 15 points. In the fourth quarter alone San Antonio coughed the ball up four times and it cost them nine points. By my count the Nuggets had only seven points directly coming in transition after recovering the ball, which is not terrible. But even the dead ball turnovers were bad. Empty possessions are a problem, especially when they fire up a crowd that was looking for a reason to cheer. While we are on the subject of transition points, the Nuggets had 21 on Game 2 after getting none in Game 1. They deserve some credit for pushing the pace, but the Spurs clearly weren’t as sharp when it came to getting back on defense. The White vs. Murray matchups heats up Derrick White outplayed Jamal Murray in Game 1 and dominated their second matchup for most of the night.<doc-sep>Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray just couldn’t get the bad taste out of his mouth, and even a bite of pretzel he poached from a kid after tumbling into the stands in the third quarter wasn’t exactly satisfying. “It was really dry,” Murray said. Maybe it was just what Murray needed, however, helping spark his fabulous fourth quarter that fueled the Denver Nuggets’ 114-105 comeback over the San Antonio Spurs and knotting their playoff series 1-1. Murray’s late heroics may very well have salvaged Denver’s season. Teammates told him to keep shooting the ball when his shots kept rimming out. Finally, he found his touch, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. “Everybody told me to stick with it,” Murray said. “I don’t think I scored a field goal until the fourth. I just stuck with it. They all believed in me.” The Nuggets were in danger of losing a second straight game at the Pepsi Center after posting the NBA’s best home record (34-7) during the regular season. They trailed 78-59 late in the third quarter before closing the game on a 55-27 run. “Coach said we are a team that never gives up,” Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said. “That’s true. We never give up. We lost the first game. We were down 19. That’s all excuses. But we never gave up. There is something about this team. We have a heart. We’re never going to let you win so easy.” It was looking very much like an easy win for San Antonio, which frittered away two 19-point leads. “We gave up 38 points (actually, 39) in the fourth quarter. End of story,” fumed Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who drew a technical foul during the Nuggets’ comeback. OPINION:Haunted by Final Four 'regrets', Stevens seeks NBA title with Celtics NBA PLAYOFFS:First-round matchups, dates and TV times GET IT FIRST:NBA experts Jeff Zillgitt, Martin Rogers invade your inbox Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he never considered benching Murray because he didn’t want to crush his confidence. He said he took him aside at halftime and told him to take a deep breath and trust his shots would start falling. “Never once did I think about pulling him from the lineup,” Malone said. Good thing, too, because Murray, the goat in Game 1 after missing an open jumper and turning the ball over in the closing seconds, might have salvaged the Nuggets’ season while going 8 for 9 in the fourth quarter. The series shifts to San Antonio, where the Nuggets haven’t won since 2012, for Game 3 on Thursday night. “We had to have this one,” Denver’s Paul Millsap said. “Going down 0-2 into San Antonio would’ve been a tough situation for us. To pull this one off the way we did, was unbelievable.” Thanks to Murray, who not only waited until the end to get going in the game but was a late arrival in the postgame news conference. “It was great to see him make shots,” Millsap said. “I think he’s got his confidence back. The key was to continue to take shots. If you miss them, so what? Shoot with confidence, and he did.” Malone said he was bursting with pride over Murray’s phenomenal bounce-back. “He was so frustrated at halftime, not making shots, shots that he’s made his whole career,” Malone recounted. “I just grabbed him. I said, ‘Listen, take a deep breath. You’re putting too much pressure on yourself. Every shot right now was like the end of the world. I believe in you. I love you. Just go out there and play.’” “It was great to see him have some success. After Game 1. And after the first half. Really happy for Jamal and for him to step up and basically close the game out with his shot-making that he had down the stretch. The first of many for Jamal Murray, I have no doubt.” STILL HAPPY DeMar DeRozan said the Spurs still felt good leaving Denver despite blowing those big leads and a big opportunity to take a 2-0 lead. “We got Game 1. We fought, tried to get Game 2 but we’ve got home court shifting our way,” he said. “Now it’s on us to go home and do what we need to do and understand if we take care of home like we’ve been doing all year, we can come back here with an opportunity. So, we feel great about where we’re at. We understood it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.” TIP-INS: San Antonio: The Spurs fell to 21-7 against Denver in the playoffs. They had won seven of their last 12 games in Denver, including the regular season. ... The Spurs got 31 points from DeRozan, 24 from LaMarcus Aldridge and 17 from Derrick White. Denver: Millsap added 20 points for Denver and Jokic just missed his second triple-double of the series, scoring 21 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and dishing out eight assists. ... The Nuggets ended a seven-game home losing streak to San Antonio in the playoffs. UP NEXT The series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 Thursday night (9 p.m. ET on NBATV).<doc-sep>Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets rallied down the stretch to upset the San Antonio Spurs and level their opening round playoff series up at one-win apiece. The Denver Nuggets were one of the hottest teams during the regular season and a dominant final quarter saw them stun the Spurs to level the series up against the San Antonio Spurs. Jamal Murray took over down the stretch as the Nuggets came from seven points down at the end of the third quarter to record the 114-105 victory. After quiet games in the series opener, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan bounced back in Game 2 to combine for 55 points. Denver struggled throughout the game offensively, but it clicked into gear when it matttered most. Here are the main talking points from Game 2... Jamal Murray has ice in his veins The Denver Nuggets couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch in Game 1. Thankfully they had no such issues in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Jamal Murray was left to rue a huge missed chance in the dying seconds of the series opener, but he put those misses in the rearview mirror and erupted in the fourth. The Nuggets guard buried back-to-back triples to extend the Nuggets' lead and effectively put the game to bed with his final quarter display. He added a stunning 21 points on a ridiculous 8-9 shooting from the floor. Spurs big names deliver big performances DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 33 points on 12-36 shooting in the opening game of the series. They surpassed that total in the first half alone. The Spurs big two eventually finished with a combined 55 points on 19-39 shooting. Unfortunately they were going alone as the rest of the Spurs crew failed to fire. Aside from Derrick White's 17 points, no other member of the Spurs rotation scored more than eight points as the Nuggets pulled off the stunning comeback. While it's by no means panic stations for the Spurs, they'll be wary of a resurgent Nuggets and will need the rest of their troops to pitch in as their stars continue to shine. DeMar leads all scorers with 17 PTS at the half in Denver! #GoSpursGo 📺: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/DDixU5QEDM - NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2019 Fourth quarter defensively specialists strike again Denver were the number one team in the final quarter allowing only 24.8 points per game throughout the regular season and in a huge Game 2 they got it done when it mattered most. Entering the final term the Nuggets trailed by seven points, but they found their groove on both ends of the floor to emerge victorious and level the series up at 1-1. San Antonio's offense clicked all game long before falling apart in the fourth as the Nuggets took control and held them to 23 points down the stretch. The crowd rose to the occassion as their squad roared back to life and the incredible final 12 minutes means the series heads to San Antonio all tied. Nuggets struggles at the line Denver lost the opening game of the series by five points after missing eight free throws throughout the game, ending with 16-24. Game 2 saw their struggles continue as they finished 18-26. Thankfully the result went their way, but the fact remains they've struggled to knock down shots from the charity stripe. The 20th ranked team in the NBA percentage wise throughout the regular season and locked in a series that looks like it will remain tight throughout, the Nuggets need to get their act together. Game 3 will take place on Thursday in San Antonio.<doc-sep>
Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images Jamal Murray scored 21 fourth-quarter points and Nikola Jokic posted 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-105 in Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series Tuesday. Denver trailed 78-59 with 4:28 left in the third quarter. Murray then led the Nuggets on a furious charge and gave Denver a 101-99 lead with this shot: After Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan hit two free throws to draw San Antonio within one, Murray assisted on a Jokic bucket before hitting back-to-back threes to put the game away: As Fantasy Labs managing director Justin Phan noted, Murray nearly outscored the Spurs, who had 23 fourth-quarter points, in the final 12 minutes. DeRozan led all scorers with 31 points. Teammate LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 points and eight rebounds. Denver and San Antonio are now tied at one game apiece in their best-of-seven series. Video Play Button Videos you might like Jamal Murray Must Find Consistency for Nuggets to Maintain Success Jokic might be the Nuggets' best player, but the team can only go as far as Murray takes it. Check out these stats from Harrison Wind of BSN Denver, for example: San Antonio outscored Denver by seven points through the first three quarters, but the Nuggets outpaced the Spurs 39-23 in the final 12 minutes. The correlation between Murray's shooting prowess and the team's success has been a trend all year. The Nuggets were 12-0 during the regular season when Murray shot 55 percent or better from the field. However, the Nuggets don't look like a No. 2 seed when the ex-Kentucky star struggles from the field. When the 22-year-old shot below 30 percent, they went 5-7 during the regular season. The question now is whether he can avoid the rough shooting nights—he went 8-of-23 in Game 1—that have occasionally plagued him. If his regular-season splits are any indication, Murray will have a tough time on the road in this series. He shot 47.5 percent overall in Denver compared to only 40.0 percent away from the Pepsi Center. The Spurs have extreme home-away splits as well. San Antonio is an excellent 32-9 at home but a pedestrian 16-25 on the road. Similarly, Denver went 34-7 at home during the regular season and only 20-21 on the road. As ESPN analyst Ryen Russillo pointed out during Murray's rough stretch Tuesday, the Spurs look like the favorite in this series if Murray can't get it going: But if he does, then Murray isn't much different than a player who catches fire in NBA Jam. He's capable of doing things that no one has done in years, as ESPN noted: Denver won't win this series unless Murray's shot falls more consistently. The Nuggets may have a championship-caliber ceiling if it does, however. San Antonio's Resurgent D Key to Series Upset, Deep Playoff Run The Spurs mostly played tremendous defense for the first 80 minutes of this series, but the last 16 will stick with San Antonio heading into Game 3. San Antonio allowed 52 points during that stretch, including 39 in the fourth. Nuggets players not named Jokic committed only two turnovers (the big man had three in an otherwise stellar night). They shot 48.3 percent from the field and went 10-of-24 from deep. That was a stark contrast from Game 1. Denver couldn't get much going offensively, shooting only 42.0 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three. It looked like more of the same early Tuesday, as the Nuggets scored only 21 points in the first quarter. They also trailed 78-59 late in the third frame. The Spurs' Jekyll-and-Hyde defense is the key to this series and their playoff lives. If the defense excels, a deep playoff run could be on the horizon. If it struggles, Denver will likely move on. San Antonio's defense looked like it had made a significant turnaround after a poor first half of the year. The Spurs ranked 20th in defensive rating on the season, per NBA.com, but that jumped into a tie for ninth place after the All-Star break. As a result, San Antonio improved down the stretch, going 15-8 (65.2 winning percentage) after a 33-26 mark (55.9 percent winning rate) before mid-February. The offense has not been a problem thus far. The Spurs have two perennial All-Stars in Aldridge and DeRozan, both of whom average more than 20 points per game.