In a stunning turn of events, the Denver Nuggets squandered a 23-point lead in a 121-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, throwing the race for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed into chaos with just one game remaining in the regular season.
The defeat dropped the Nuggets into a three-way tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder at 56-25. It marks the first time in NBA history that three teams are deadlocked with the same record through 81 games with the conference’s top spot up for grabs.
Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama erupted for 17 points in a 26-9 third quarter run that sliced a 13-point deficit to just six heading into the final frame.
Devonte’ Graham then delivered the dagger, sinking a floater with 0.9 seconds left to hand the Nuggets their only deficit of the second half.
“It’s disappointing. Really disappointing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the game. “We didn’t defend at all. The very few times they did miss in the fourth quarter, we gave up eight offensive rebounds for 13 points. Just a lot of things that I would say did not go our way down the stretch.”
The Nuggets will now need help to secure the No. 1 seed. They must win their final Sunday in Memphis and hope for losses by both Minnesota (vs. Phoenix) and Oklahoma City (vs. Dallas).
In a three-way tie, the Thunder hold the tiebreaker advantage with a 5-3 record against the Timberwolves and Nuggets.
Minnesota, meanwhile, controls its destiny. The Timberwolves can lock up the top spot with a win over the Suns coupled with a Denver loss. They own the tiebreaker over Oklahoma City based on a superior division record.
The Thunder need victories by Minnesota and Denver along with a win of their own to jump from third place to first. In a two-way tie with the Nuggets, Oklahoma City has the head-to-head tiebreaker 3-1.
“Even after all these years, Devonte’ Graham still has a butterfly effect on the Thunder,”
The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto wrote, referencing Graham’s iconic game-winning shot to beat OKC as a Charlotte Hornet in 2019.
The No. 1 seed carries significant implications beyond home-court advantage. The top team will face the winner of the 7-8 play-in game in the first round, likely avoiding the defending champion Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, who are slated to meet in the 6-7 matchup.
“We had our chances,” said Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who had 22 points in the loss. “I missed an open look on the last shot. It’s something that I need to make.”
The Nuggets’ collapse overshadowed a historic night in the West, where the Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder have now occupied the top three spots for a record 40 consecutive days, separated by just 1.5 games.
All eyes will be on the final day of the regular season on Sunday, with the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder all tipping off at 3:30 p.m. ET. The No. 1 seed has changed hands 14 times in the last 40 days, but only one team will claim it when the dust settles.
“We lost to a couple of teams at the end of the regular season, so it seems like we’re limping into the playoffs,” Jokic said. “But we have a chance to do something special.”
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