Nuggets-Spurs, 1 P.M.: Carmelo Brings His Balky Ankle To San Antonio

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San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Kenyon Martin led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as the Denver Nuggets pulled away late to earn a 103-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.

Chauncey Billups finished with 25 points, 11 assists and six boards, while J.R. Smith provided 18 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who had an eight- game winning streak snapped following Friday’s 101-84 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Arron Afflalo chipped with 14 points for Denver, which shot 53.6 percent from the floor and made 9-of-12 from three-point range. The Nuggets did it all without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony, who sat out his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.

George Hill led six players in double-figure scoring with 17 points for San Antonio, which was unable to build off Friday’s 104-97 win over Memphis.

Tim Duncan went for 16 points and 10 boards, while Manu Ginobili had 14 points and nine rebounds in a reserve role for the Spurs, who dropped four of six during their six-game homestand.

Tony Parker missed his second straight contest after spraining his ankle against Atlanta on Wednesday.

San Antonio held a slim 23-21 lead after the opening 12 minutes, and Ginobili hit a three to cap an 8-0 burst and extend the Spurs advantage to 41-33 with 3:26 left in the half.

However, Denver closed on a strong note, as Billups bookended a 12-0 run with a pair of free throws and a layup with 46 seconds remaining to put his squad up 45-41 heading into the break.

Afflalo’s three-pointer stretched the visitors lead to double-figures, 55-45, nearly 2 1/2 minutes into the third, before Ginobili’s two free throws capped a 13-2 run to put the Spurs ahead 58-57 with 6:15 to play in the third.

The game went back-and-forth for the next several possession, but Denver reclaimed the lead at 63-62 with 4:22 left on Martin’s turnaround hook shot. The Nuggets got a little separation with the last six points of the quarter to go up 75-68 after three.

In the fourth quarter, the Spurs were able get as close as two points on a few occasions. Hill’s jumper with 5:59 left pulled San Antonio within 82-80, but Billups answered with a trey to spark an 11-5 run. After Smith hit from beyond the arc with 2:25 to play, the visitors held a 93-85 lead and cruised down the stretch.

Denver defeated San Antonio, 106-99, on December 5 this season and has won three straight and 11 of the past 18 meetings with the Spurs...Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, for San Antonio...The Nuggets improved to 11-12 on the road this season, while the Spurs dropped to 19-10 as the host.