Quick Cap: dominant fourth quarter propels Spurs past Nuggets

On the final game of their mini road trip, the Spurs pulled out a close win against the Nuggets in Denver. It was an overall sloppy game, featuring 39 combined turnovers between the two teams. The Nuggets led for most of it after outplaying the Spurs in the second quarter. The deficit on the boards in particular was troubling and the Spurs' mediocre outside shooting only made the outcome look gloomier. But San Antonio rallied in the second half and attacked the paint to close the gap in the third quarter behind great performances by Parker and Leonard.

The trend continued in the fourth, with the Spurs getting closer as the defense clamped down. The bench tied it and the starters returned to secure a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game. In the end it seemed the Spurs had one more gear, despite struggling from the field all game, while the Nuggets had a hard time reigniting their offense when it mattered.

Parker finished with a stellar 24 points on 13 shots for the Spurs while Leonard, Splitter and Duncan (who also finished with eight points, eight assists and four blocks) also finished in double digits. Boris Diaw had a great game as well, or at least a great second half. The Land Walrus scored seven points and pulled down eight boards after the break and the difference the Spurs' bigs made inside was hard for the Nuggets to counter, especially after Mozgov fouled out. Lawson had 20 points and eight assists in the losing effort.

The Spurs move to 3-1 with this win and will come home on Thursday Wednesday to battle the surprising Phoenix Suns, who have won three games already in a season in which everyone expected them to be terrible.

More from Pounding The Rock:

• Phil's Fantasy Basketball Tuesday: Ginobili's a Sleeper
• Can a small market like San Antonio keep Kawhi Leonard happy?
• Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets
• The Spurs' defensive weakness continues to be contesting jumpers
• Boris Diaw is finally being used correctly in the Spurs offense