When the Denver Nuggets travel to San Antonio to play the struggling Spurs on Friday, they hope to get back on track and consolidate their hold on first place in the Western Conference.
After losing 117-96 to Chicago on Wednesday at home, the Nuggets (46-20) return to the Alamo City after a four-game winning streak. In the loss, Denver’s Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. However, he only made 7 of 16 shots, snapping a 51-game streak in which he made at least half of his shots.
Michael Porter Jr. had 12 points, Jamal Murray had 11, and Aaron Gordon had 17 points. Denver’s second-lowest total of the season was 96 points.
Before Chicago took control early in the third quarter, Denver held a one-point halftime advantage. The Nuggets came back to within five in the third quarter, but they never really threatened the rest of the game.
Denver had won eight of its previous ten games, and as of Thursday, it was seven games ahead of Sacramento and Memphis in the West standings. The Nuggets cannot afford to lose to San Antonio because they are two and a half games behind Milwaukee in the race for the best record in the league.
The Nuggets defeated San Antonio in the first two games of the season series, both at the beginning of November.
After a rare four-day break, the Spurs resume play on the heels of consecutive losses to Houston, the most recent of which came on Sunday, when they lost on the road by a score of 142-110. Charles Bassey and Devonte’ Graham each scored 14 points, while Keita Bates-Diop led San Antonio with 17 points.
The Spikes were without harmed starters Zach Collins (left lower leg), Tre Jones (left foot) and Jeremy Sochan (right knee).
Sunday’s defeat for San Antonio came down to poor defense, as Houston shot 61.2% from the floor. In their 18th loss in their last 20 games, the Spurs allowed 74 points in the paint and 34 points in transition.
Even though San Antonio suffered a historic defeat, it is still one game ahead of Houston, which is in last place in the Western Conference standings, heading into the final month of the regular season. The Spurs’ need to rebuild and a slew of injuries have virtually ensured that they will receive one of the top three picks in the NBA Draft in June, as was anticipated prior to the season.
