Wembanyama denies Jokic in closing seconds as Spurs beat Nuggets 113-110

DENVER (AP) — Victor Wembanyama stole Nikola Jokic’s pass with 4 seconds left, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Denver Nuggets 113-110 on Friday night.

Wembanyama finished with 35 points and 18 rebounds to help the Spurs overcome a big night from Jokic. The three-time MVP had 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of his 15th triple-double.

San Antonio led by one with 17 seconds left and Denver had a chance to win. Jokic tried to pass to a teammate but Wembanyama intercepted it and fed Devin Vassell for a game-sealing dunk.

Michael Porter Jr. missed 34-footer at the buzzer that would have sent it to overtime.

Porter finished with 22 points for the Nuggets, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul with 8:46 left but shook it off to hit two deep 3-pointers to give San Antonio a 97-92 lead with 7:52 left.

Denver rallied to lead by five but the Spurs scored six straight points to take a 109-108 lead and set up the final moments.

Spurs: Wembanyama was unstoppable at times but also committed eight turnovers to nearly register an unwanted triple-double. The rest of the team had only six turnovers.

Nuggets: They were acutely aware of Wembanyama’s presence on defense, dribbling through the paint and shooting fadeaways. Porter showed no fear when he dunked with 2:35 left with Wembanyama near the rim.

The teams hit a flurry of 3-pointers midway through the third quarter. The Spurs hit three in a row and Denver made two straight to combine for 15 points in a span of 67 seconds.

The Nuggets fell to 2-5 in the first leg of a back-to-back. They have won all six games of the second leg heading into Saturday night.

The teams meet again Saturday night in San Antonio.

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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front, collects a loose ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, center, drives to the basket between San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, and guard Chris Paul in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., front, blocks a shot by San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, top, collects the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, bottom, tumbles to the floor in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., left, battles for control of a rebound with San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, goes up for a basket as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, right, pulls in a rebound as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama pursues a rebound in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., right, drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, greets forward Julian Champagnie, right, while taking the court for an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, passes the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, front left, and center Victor Wembanyama defend in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jayden Daniels sitting in the second half wasn’t the plan when the playoff-bound Washington Commanders visited the Dallas Cowboys with only seeding at stake.

Leg soreness led coach Dan Quinn to make the move, and Marcus Mariota turned it into a winning one.

Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left, lifting Washington to a 23-19 victory over Dallas on Sunday and clinching the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs for the Commanders.

Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Daniels, who said he was fine with his coach's decision but later was adamant that they would have had “to drag me off the field,” if his team had been in a win-or-go-home situation.

Instead, the Commanders (12-5) only had playoff seeding on the line, but Quinn's move ended up sparking an offense that produced just 64 yards before the break.

“We were going to have to use the quarterback’s legs more, so it was really my decision to say, ‘Hey let’s go this route,’” Quinn said. “It wasn’t a pre-determined one.”

It turned out Washington didn’t need the rally to keep the sixth seed because Green Bay lost to Chicago on a late field goal. But the victory meant the Commanders finished the regular season on a four-game win streak that answered a three-game skid capped by a loss at home to Dallas.

The Commanders will visit either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round next weekend. The Packers will visit NFC East champion Philadelphia, the No. 2 seed.

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys in the first regular-season start for quarterback Trey Lance since Week 2 of 2022, when he was still with San Francisco a year after the 49ers traded up to get him third overall in the draft.

Rico Dowdle's 2-yard TD run lifted the Cowboys to a 19-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Quinn already had his team in the playoffs in his return to Dallas, where he was the defensive coordinator the past three seasons, which also ended with 12-5 playoff teams.

The last of those came crashing down with a blowout wild-card loss at home to Green Bay, and the coaches and players Quinn left behind never had a chance to escape the malaise in a 2024 season that was troublesome from the early days.

Now, the Cowboys (7-10) await the fate of coach Mike McCarthy, who is on an expiring contract after three winning seasons and two losing records, unable to get the club past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the mid-1990s.

“For us to go out there and compete and finish our commitment, that to me was a given,” McCarthy said. “I thought in some ways, the game was a little bit of a microcosm of our season, just going down to the last play. The little things that we didn’t do, was part of the reason why we didn’t win the game.”

Daniels was 6 of 12 for 38 yards when he went to the bench after the break, while Mariota finished 15 of 18 for 161 yards and had a 33-yard run that helped set up the winning score, which capped a 91-yard drive.

“He's such a cool teammate,” Quinn said. “It was fun to be able to celebrate him today because of the work that he does behind the scenes. It takes a lot to be ready like that.”

Lance was 20 of 34 for 244 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in his first extensive action since the preseason. He threw five interceptions in the preseason finale.

The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Lance last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job with the Niners. Cooper Rush started the first eight games after Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury this season.

It didn't take Micah Parsons long to make good on his promise that he would get to 10 sacks for the fourth time in his four seasons with Dallas despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain.

Parsons dropped Daniels for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the game and got him again on a 9-yarder two plays later. He had 2 1/2 sacks to finish the season with 12. He is the fourth player with double-digit sacks in his first four seasons, and the other three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Washington's running game struggled despite the return of running back Austin Ekeler, who left the Nov. 24 loss to the Cowboys with a concussion. While Mariota and Daniels did some damage with their legs, Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. combined for 22 yards on eight carries.

None of Aubrey's kicks were from 50 yards, but he held on to what is now an NFL record for the most from at least that distance in a season at 14. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn started and ended the day at 13, and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell had a 54-yarder Saturday to finish at 13 as well.

The Commanders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and in the postseason with a winning record for the first time since 2015.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) celebrates a sack with defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) and linebacker Buddy Johnson (57) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Josh McSwain)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) chases him during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Josh McSwain)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin reacts during a play against the Washington Commandersduring the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn reacts to a fourth-down stop against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, left, goes up to make a touchdown catch against Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. The Commanders won 23-19. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) reacts after Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin caught a touchdown pass in front of him during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. The Commanders won 23-19. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)