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GAME BLOG: Derrick White, Spurs hold off Nuggets in final seconds, win crucial Game 1, 101-96

The two teams split their season series, each winning at home twice.

FINAL: Spurs 101, Nuggets 96

How about that for a Game 1?

With San Antonio up by only three and the ball back in Denvers's hands, Derrick White made a crucial steal followed up by a pair of made free throws to put victory out of the Nuggets' reach. 

San Antonio takes Game 1 by a score of 101-96, on the road against a team that had only lost seven games at home all year. 

Game 2 is Tuesday in Denver. 

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With 2:09 to go, San Antonio remains up front by five. 

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A crucial trey by Davis Bertans, his first three-pointer of the game, has given the Spurs a six-point lead against a Nuggets team that just won't go away quietly in the final frame of Saturday's game. 

San Antonio leads 93-87. 

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San Antonio continues to nurse a five-point advantage with 8:41 to go in the game. They lead 81-76. 

Third Quarter: Spurs 72, Nuggets 68

At the end of the third quarter, San Antonio is hanging on to just a four-point advantage, setting up a huge final-quarter showdown in Game 1 of this first-round playoff series. 

If they win, the Spurs get a huge road win to begin the series against the team that had the best home mark in the NBA this season. If they lose, they'll have had an opponent come back from a halftime deficit to beat them, grabbing momentum for Game 2. 

Here we go. 

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An 8-2 run has the Silver and Black surging once again. They lead the Nuggets 70-61 with just over two minutes to go in the game. 

Poeltl is the only Spurs starter not in double-figures for points, but he has only attempted four shots from the floor. White and Gay lead their team with 14 points each. 

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Denver may be creeping closer to San Antonio in the score, but it's hard to believe they weren't briefly stunned to their core by Derrick White midway through the third quarter. 

The Spurs lead, 64-59. 

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With 8:14 to go in the third quarter, San Antonio's eight-point halftime lead has dwindled to three. Denver has made four of its first seven shots from the field to begin the frame; San Antonio just two of its first eight. 

Second Quarter: Spurs 59, Nuggets 51

So far, so good for the Spurs in Denver. They held the Nuggets to 42.6% percent shooting in the first half en route to snatching an eight-point lead at the half. 

White, DeRozan and Forbes have combined for 31 points for San Antonio, but the star so far is Rudy Gay, who leads all players with 12 points off the bench.

The three-point game has been an unexpected X-factor in this matchup. Denver has made just two of its 13 attempts from beyond the arc; San Antonio has sunk five of 10 attempts.   

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This beautiful display of teamwork helped double Poeltl's points total to four for tonight's game. 

San Antonio continues to lead, 50-43. 

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With 5:07 to go in the half, San Antonio is up by double-digits in the first game of this playoff series. The Spurs lead Denver, 43-33, but a key player might be sitting on the sideline so he can re-enter in the homestretch. 

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Through 3:33 of the second quarter, the Silver and Black have upped their lead, leading Denver, 36-27. 

The typically reliable duo of Nuggets Murray and Jokic have combined for only six points so far on 2-7 shooting. So far in this game, experience seems to be winning over youthful energy. 

First Quarter: Spurs 25, Nuggets 20

Led by six points apiece from Forbes and Belinelli, the Spurs have a five-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. 

All five Nuggets starters have tallied points, but the youngest team in the league is shooting under 30 percent as a team

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With 2:48 to go in the first quarter, the Nuggets and Spurs are tied at 17-17. Both teams have made exactly six of their first 17 attempts from the field, and Bryn Forbes leads all players in the early going with six points. 

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At the first Spurs timeout, San Antonio is down, 8-6. The score is close, but one key player is in early foul trouble. 

Pregame

Now the real work begins. 

The 2019 playoffs for the Spurs begin Saturday night in Denver. The opponent: a Nuggets team that won 54 games en route to earning a playoff berth for the first time in six years. 

Coach Pop and Co. may be the more experienced team, but it'll still be difficult to steal a win in Denver. The Nuggets were a league-best 34-7 on their home court this season. 

The two squads split their season series, alternating wins and losses. Three of those games were decided by a combined 12 points – including a one-point Spurs victory in early March – but the most recent contest was a blowout win, 113-85, in favor of the Nuggets on April 3. 

Tipoff on Saturday night is at 9:30 p.m. CT. Follow along here for updates and analysis. 

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