Jokic’s streak snapped in loss

Nuggets fall despite triple-double for first time this season

After Michael Porter Jr. put Zach Collins on a poster, the Nuggets competed like the Spurs had already been knocked out.

Instead, San Antonio stunned the visiting Nuggets on Friday night, dropping them 128-120, for the Spurs’ 17th victory of the season. For the first time all season, a Nikola Jokic triple-double didn’t equate to a win.

Jokic finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 26th triple-double of the season, but San Antonio’s bench obliterated Denver’s second unit, and the Spurs owned the Nuggets on the glass, 50-33.

As usually happens, the more physical team won. Even though Porter’s emphatic finish over Collins (and the subsequent skirmish that led to both getting ejected) showed some fight, the Nuggets were underwhelming in their urgency. Now 46-21, they’ll head to Denver carrying a two-game losing streak and a date with Brooklyn on Sunday.

Here’s what mattered vs. the Spurs.

The record is his: Following Jamal Murray’s frustrating night against the Bulls on Wednesday, where he shot just 1 of 7 from 3 and appeared to press as he approached the franchise’s all-time 3-point record, Denver’s sniper wasted no time against San Antonio. Barely two minutes into the game, Aaron Gordon found Murray on the wing, where he drained his 805th career 3-pointer, surpassing Will Barton for the franchise’s all-time mark.

Those aren’t empty stats, either. Both Murray and Michael Malone are well aware of the correlation when Murray hoists from beyond the arc. The Nuggets are 10-0 this season when Murray gets up at least 10 3-pointers. Not only is he a streaky, volume shooter, but he’s the counterweight to Jokic’s dominance. The Nuggets entered Friday night second among all NBA teams in 3-point shooting percentage at 38.9. Murray, whose 6.5 attempts per game were second only to Porter’s 7.2, was shooting the exact same percentage as his team.

With the record behind him, Murray reeled off an efficient 17 points in the first half. He finished with 24 points, though was just 2 for 8 from deep.

The layers of Joker: Perhaps no player in the NBA has better touch around the rim, or can abuse a post defender better than