Spurs 99, Nuggets 91
Kawhi Leonard returned from a two-game absence and had 18 points, eight rebounds, five steals and a career-high six blocked shots as visiting San Antonio held off Denver.
Tim Duncan added 15 points and nine rebounds and Manu Ginobili finished with 15 points and six assists for the Spurs. Cory Joseph added 13 points while starting in place of Tony Parker (hamstring) and Tiago Splitter contributed 11 points for San Antonio.
Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 31 points for Denver but also matched his career high with six turnovers. Wilson Chandler added 14 points and Timofey Mozgov finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, which was opening a four-game homestand.
The Nuggets trailed by as many as 17 in the third quarter but didn’t fade in their second game in two nights, pulling within five with 6:26 remaining on the first basket in seven tries by Nate Robinson, who had missed the last four games with a back injury. Denver wasn’t able to get any closer than five as Ginobili sank a 3-pointer and Joseph scored off Ty Lawson's turnover to stretch the lead back to 10 with two minutes left.
The Spurs took the lead on a 19-footer by Aron Baynes early in the second quarter and moved ahead for good behind a 13-0 run that stretched the advantage to 41-29 with 3:01 left in the opening half. San Antonio took a 45-34 lead into the break and took advantage of another offensive lull by the Nuggets in the third quarter to score six unanswered points and move ahead by 17.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Nuggets played without reserve PF Kenneth Faried, who sprained his ankle in Saturday’s loss to the Houston Rockets, and he joined Danilo Gallinari (knee), JaVale McGee (leg) and Randy Foye (knee) on the sidelines. … The Nuggets fell to 1-4 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, losing the last four. … Lawson had six points and 10 assists but shot 2-for-10 and is 24-for-74 in the last six games.