AUSTIN, Texas — Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in their bid to broaden their regional fan base.
Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 assists for Denver, which won its fifth straight game and for the 11th time in 12 games to remain atop the Western Conference standings.
Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama each had 17 points for San Antonio, which lost its third straight.
The Spurs have played in Austin the last two seasons to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The move proved a popular choice as the Spurs set the attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center with 16,223 on Friday.
Still, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was concerned his team would not have the right mindset, since Austin is not a traditional NBA city.
“It has a preseason feel to it,” Malone said. “I hope for our players that once the jump ball goes up that we understand this is not the preseason, this is a real game. We have to lock in and give it the attention and respect that it deserves.”
The game had its difficulties logistically. Teams were unfamiliar with where to go in the stadium. Monitors and video boards for statistics were not updating or were completely out, and Spurs radio announcer Bill Schoening had to deliver his broadcast over his cellphone.
But, any concern Malone had about how the defending NBA champions would respond were quickly dashed.
The Nuggets shot 55% from the field and led by as many as 21 points.
Wembanyama opened the game by blocking and gathering a short jumper by Jokic in the paint.
Despite the early block, Denver attacked the rim with impunity. Aaron Gordon had an alley-oop dunk one possession after dunking with Wembanyama trailing closely. Michael Porter Jr. followed by completing a three-point play on a contested layup and foul by Julian Champagnie.
Porter finished with 13 points and Gordon had seven.
Denver went on a 12-0 run in the opening quarter and built a 19-point lead.
The Spurs cut their deficit to 81-77 on Keldon Johnson’s contested layup against Jokic with 1:23 remaining in third, but the Nuggets quickly rebuilt a double-digit lead in the fourth.