DENVER — Victor Wembanyama stole Nikola Jokic‘s pass with four seconds left, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Denver Nuggets 113-110 on Friday night.
Wembanyama finished with 35 points and 18 rebounds to help the Spurs overcome a big night from Jokic. The three-time MVP had 41 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists, falling just short of his 15th triple-double.
It marked the sixth game since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976 — and first since 2019 — to feature dueling 35-point, 15-rebound performances.
Denver had the ball down by one with 17 seconds left. Jokic tried to pass to a teammate, but Wembanyama intercepted it and fed Devin Vassell for a game-sealing dunk.
“I think he’s better this year than last year, and I think he’s going to get even better,” Jokic said of Wembanyama. “I think he’s a special player. I think he’s one of a kind and is going to be remembered forever.”
Wembanyama relished the opportunity to play against Jokic, saying the experience could only help him improve.
“Multiple-time MVP, soon to be MVP again,” he said of Jokic. “Can’t ask for a better way to get better.”
Michael Porter Jr. missed a 34-footer at the buzzer that would have sent it to overtime. He finished with 22 points for the Nuggets, whose three-game winning streak ended.
Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson credited his team’s composure.
“I thought every time they had us on the ropes, I thought we kind of composed ourselves and fought ourselves back into the game, which was nice to see,” he said.
Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul with 8:46 left but shook it off to hit two deep 3-pointers to give San Antonio a 97-92 lead with 7:52 left.
Denver rallied to lead by five, but the Spurs scored six straight points to take a 109-108 lead and set up the final moments.
Wembanyama, who turns 21 on Saturday, now has three career 35-point, 15-rebound games, breaking a tie with Shaquille O’Neal for the second-most such games in NBA history before a player’s 21st birthday. John Drew leads the way with four.
Jokic, meanwhile, recorded his seventh career game with at least 40 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, breaking a tie with Joel Embiid for the second-most such games since the merger (Giannis Antetokounmpo has nine). Jokic took 36 shots, the second most of his career.
“I love him being that aggressive,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “He scored 41 points tonight, had 18 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals. And the way they were playing him, one-on-one coverage, and they…
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