SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 1 (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs renewed a pair of Opening Night traditions. The Denver Nuggets continued a couple they would like to stop.

After receiving their championship rings, the Spurs rode Tony Parker and new arrival Michael Finley to their ninth straight season-opening win, a 102-91 victory over the hard-luck Nuggets.

NBA TV highlights from Nuggets-Spurs: Play

"It was a good win against a very good basketball team, especially after getting the rings," said San Antonio coach Greg Popovich, who improved to 9-0 in openers. "A lot of guys participated and it worked out well."

For the second straight season, the Nuggets lost their opener on the road and a key player to injury. In the second quarter, backup big man Nenê went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

Prior to the game, the Spurs received rings for their third title in seven years from NBA commissioner David Stern before unveiling their 2005 championship banner. They are favored to repeat as champions following an offseason where they added former All-Stars Finley and Nick Van Exel.

Coming off the bench for the first time since his 1995-96 rookie season, Finley looked like he had been a Spur for years. He scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and took charge in the fourth quarter, draining a series of jumpers.

"A lot has changed in the past year, but the game of basketball has remained the same," Finley said. "I have put myself in a position where I am very happy and very comfortable. After watching the team get its rings, I was very emotional. I want one of those. We have such a deep team that my minutes will be limited. I'm prepared to play as much or as little as coach decides."

"He's a professional," Popovich said. "He worked hard to figure out the system. He's not going to shy away from a jump shot. He had a huge fourth quarter for us."

Parker, the lightning-quick point guard, has been working with shooting guru Chip Engelland on improving his mid-range game. He showed immediate results as he made 13-of-20 shots and scored 26 points, many of them from the perimeter.

"I have been working hard with Chip and I saw improvement in the preseason and hopefully I'll continue to get better in the regular season with my jumper," Parker said. "I am getting more mature. I figured I had to do something in the first game this year because I've played so poorly in the first game the past couple of years. I just took my time tonight."

Finley (11 points) and Parker (14) combined to dominate the final period, when the Spurs erased a five-point deficit and pulled away. They have not lost a season opener since the 1997 arrival of superstar forward Tim Duncan, who added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was a great game all around," Duncan said. "We didn't play as well defensively as we would like to, but we grinded it out."

One year ago, the Nuggets opened with a road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in which shooting guard Voshon Lenard was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

This time it was Nenê, their backup forward and center who went down with 2:17 left in the first quarter and had to be helped off the court. He was diagnosed with a right knee sprain and will be re-examined Wednesday.

"We are not sure of the seriousness of the injury, we will just have to see what happens (Wednesday)," Denver assistant Scott Brooks said. "I had all sorts of emotion heading into this one. It was good to get the first one out of the way, I don't like to lose and I'm never one to make excuses for it."

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Kenyon Martin added 19 for the Nuggets, who were coached by assistant Scott Brooks. Coach George Karl served the first of a two-game suspension for attending an offseason workout that included players ineligible for the draft.

Despite losing Nenê, the Nuggets looked sharp at times. They held a nine-point lead in the first period before the Spurs closed the quarter on a 19-4 run to take a 27-21 lead, then got a second-quarter spark from Earl Boykins to reclaim a 48-46 edge at halftime.

"If we could have kept some of the intensity we had earlier in the game we would have been all right," Anthony said. "San Antonio is a tough team and this is a tough place to come into and try to steal a game. They give you nothing. They are tough."

A basket by Boykins opened the final period and gave Denver a 74-69 advantage before Parker and Finley took over, scoring 23 of San Antonio's next 25 points. A jumper by Finley gave the Spurs the lead for good at 79-78 and he added a jumper, 3-pointer and dunk to make it 87-81 with 6:37 to go.

"It is great that he is doing his thing for our team now," Duncan said. "It is nice to have him on our side now."

Parker made a jumper, driving layup and another jumper for a 94-85 bulge with 3:57 left.

"I was real pleased with the way he (Parker) came out ready in the fourth quarter," Popovich said. "He had focus and great confidence in his mid-range jump shot, which he has worked on all summer. It was great to see. The more practice he puts in, the better he'll be. He had a fine all-around game for us."

Eduardo Najera scored 14 points and fellow reserve Boykins added 13 for the Nuggets, who made just 9-of-15 free throws and were 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.