Nuggets at Spurs
Derrick White labored in Division II for three seasons and played in 24 games in the G League last season but now is a legitimate playoff hero. The San Antonio point guard scored a career-best 36 points in Game 3 and aims to follow up the effort when the Spurs host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series.
White thoroughly outplayed Denver guard Jamal Murray in Thursday's 118-108 home victory as he made 15-of-21 field-goal attempts to raise his series average to 23 points per game. "I just had a chip on my shoulder," White told reporters after seventh-seeded San Antonio took a 2-1 series lead. "This is the way I've played since I was young. Just try to go out there, compete and have fun." Second-seeded Denver has dropped 14 straight games in San Antonio and coach Michael Malone made pointed comments afterward, believed to be references to Murray and fellow struggling starter Will Barton. "This group has helped us win 54 games but if I have to get guys into the game earlier because they are playing at a higher level, I'll do so," Malone told reporters. "Coaching is never personal. It is all about finding the best group that can go out there and help us win a game."
TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Altitude (Denver), FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS: Murray scored 21 of his 24 points in Game 2 in the fourth quarter to help Denver rally to a win but he never got untracked on Thursday and tallied just six points on 2-of-6 shooting while repeatedly being exposed by White on the defensive end. "Well, he is going to learn as a young kid, it can't be just one quarter," Malone told reporters of Murray after Game 3. "It's got to be every night if you want to be a really good basketball player - especially in the playoffs. That is going to be part of his development and part of his maturation and I have to help him with that." Barton is averaging just 3.5 points on 3-of-16 shooting over the past two games and backup guard Malik Beasley appears to be in line for increased playing time after going 5-of-6 from 3-point range in Game 3 while contributing 20 points and nine rebounds.
ABOUT THE SPURS: White was a Division II All-American at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs before transferring to Colorado and earning All-Pac-12 honors as a senior and he saw action in 17 games with San Antonio last season. But a season-ending knee injury to Dejounte Murray in the preseason changed his role and the 24-year-old started 55 of 67 games played and averaged 9.9 points during the regular season before picking up the production in this series. "He was awesome, especially defensively," shooting guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters of White after Game 3. "He came through big. He took on that challenge (of defending) Murray. He got us going and we fed off him. He led us offensively and defensively."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs are 22-7 all-time in the postseason against the Nuggets, including 13-3 in San Antonio.
2. DeRozan scored 25 points in Game 3 and is averaging 24.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the series.
3. Denver All-Star C Nikola Jokic had 22 points in Game 3 and is averaging 17.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists.