Big men still rule, after all. This much was true after Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama put on an absolute show on Sunday, with The Joker and his Denver Nuggets getting the last laugh over The Alien and his San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling battle.
Jokic put up 40 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 blocks to lead the Nuggets to a 136-134 overtime victory over the Spurs. The three-time NBA MVP from Serbia also hit two daggers over Wembanyama in the waning seconds of OT to secure the win.
Wembanyama wasn’t too shabby himself. The Frenchman had 34 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks in the loss.
Jokic, Wemby Speak on Titanic Showdown
While he may have gotten the better of Wembanyama, Jokic was nonetheless very complimentary of his counterpart in San Antonio.
“He’s the most unique player on both sides of the floor,” Jokic said of Wemby after the game. “He challenges you in so many ways defensively because of his ability to shoot the ball. He’s one dribble at the basket, dunking the ball, lob threat. If you’re one millisecond late, it’s probably a basket. He challenges the whole league to put bodies on him and push him around.”
Wembanyama, meanwhile, described the game as “one of the most fun games” he has played and considered it “a real test” for the up-and-coming Spurs.
“I think it was an amazing game. Very fun. One of the most fun games,” Wemby admitted. “I wish we could’ve closed it out. My conclusion of this game is that it was good for us. It’s a real test against a team that’s actually playing for something right now.”
Seeding Implications
The win pushed the Nuggets to 50-28, just half a game behind the idle Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed in the West, and 1.5 games clear of the Houston Rockets. The loss dropped San Antonio to 59-19, 2.5 games behind the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
Next up for Denver is a date with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The Spurs, meanwhile, take on the Philadelphia 76ers on the same day.
