A pair of superstar big men had an epic duel on Saturday as Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets defeated Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs 136-134 in overtime. Jokić had 40 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Wembanyama posted 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.
After the game, Wembanyama talked about this “amazing” duel and how the game, despite the loss, was important for the Spurs moving forward.
Jokić spread optimism and positivity after the game as well.
The two went blow-for-blow in overtime. Jokić hit a turnaround jumper to put Denver up 133-129, but Wembanyama responded with a layup. Jokić then put Denver back up four in the closing seconds.
Needless to say, fans and analysts loved what they saw.
The two teams will face each other once more on the final day of the regular season (April 12). However, if both teams have their playoff seeds wrapped up, it’s very possible the stars rest before the postseason begins on either April 18 or 19.
Speaking of which, it’s certainly conceivable that the Spurs and Nuggets play in the Western Conference semifinals as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. San Antonio is second in the West, and Denver is a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for third. It’ll certainly be a gift for fans if that series comes to fruition.