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Mar 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks over in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic Reveals What Sparked Nuggets' Win vs Spurs

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Mar 13, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Denver Nuggets pulled off one of their biggest wins of the season yet in a statement victory on the road in the second leg of a back-to-back against the West's two-seeded San Antonio Spurs in a comeback from as much as a 20-point deficit, 136-131, and came alive late thanks to a dominant second half.

The results were much different from one of their latest humbling losses earlier in the week to the New York Knicks, where the Nuggets were clearly outmatched from the jump to fall into an early deficit, which eventually led to a blowout 39-point loss at home that sunk them further into the Western Conference standings to follow.

This time, the Nuggets rallied back for a much-needed comeback victory. Jamal Murray had an offensive masterclass with 39 points, and Nikola Jokic chipped in for a casually dominant stat line of 31-20-12-3-2.

After the game, Jokic spoke about what led to the Nuggets' success against the Spurs in a tough road trip, crediting the team's unwillingness to fold their hand early like they did against New York.

"I think when we played against New York, that was the first time, and the only time, that we kind of quit. We usually don't quit, and always fight and find a way," Jokic said postgame. "Even if we don't find a way, we don't just stop playing, and that's what happened. We believed in ourselves, and we were shooting the ball much, much better in the second half."

Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Jokic also made sure to give his flowers to the Nuggets' second-half MVP, Murray, who was the leader behind their late-game heroics to piece together a comeback, thanks to an astounding 30 second-half points.

"I mean, Jamal was phenomenal," Jokic said of Murray. "He made threes, a couple of free throws, a little spin floater... whatever that was. He was amazing, and when he's playing like that, it's really fun to watch."

Nuggets Have Two More Meetings Left With Spurs

The Nuggets certainly aren't out of the woods yet when it comes to building some momentum in the final half of the season, and they certainly aren't done as it pertains to their future matchups against the Spurs.

Denver still has two regular-season games against the Spurs in the month of April that could inevitably have major implications for how the West's final standings shake out.

Those games might also have Victor Wembanyama to accompany Jokic on the floor this time around, something that's bound to create an added challenge for the Nuggets, and someone they have yet to face in their first two meetings of the season thus far.

"I mean, we lost to them at home, and they're a really, really talented group of guys," Jokic said of the Spurs. "How they attack the paint, how they shoot the ball, defensively, they're really good."

"With [Wembanyama], they're definitely much better... I mean, we don't know actually, because we didn't play. But, we think they're much better with him."

Even without Wembanyama on the floor for this one, the Nuggets come out on the other end feeling much better about where they stand in the final month of the regular season.

If they're able to manage similar results against the Spurs in their two upcoming meetings, the vibes can raise even higher before the postseason gets underway.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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