Spurs at Warriors
THE STORY: The San Antonio Spurs got plenty of rest in a 105-91 victory over Phoenix on Saturday as they clinched their ninth division title in a dozen years. San Antonio will probably be able to rest more players as it seeks its 14th consecutive victory over a hurting Golden State team Monday. The Warriors have lost 11 of 13 games and also could be without leading scorer David Lee (strained groin) the rest of the season.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Spurs), CS Bay Area (Warriors)
ABOUT THE SPURS (42-16): San Antonio is one game behind Oklahoma City (44-16) for the West lead, but the Spurs are not concerned about the top spot. “We're going to end up where we end up,” veteran Tim Duncan said. “There's no reason to sit there and study it. We're going to play these games as best as we can. We're in a great position right now. Hopefully we can end on top. If we don't, hopefully we're number two and we're happy with that.”
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (22-37): Lee wants to play, but the Warriors won’t push it. “He wanted to play, but I'm not going to let him,” general manager Larry Riley said. “But I told him he could hurt that thing even worse. I'm not going to let him play until he can't hurt it anymore.” Rookie Klay Thompson said the Warriors will keep fighting despite being out of playoff contention. “We're undermanned and undersized, but we fought. There's no quit in us.”
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. San Antonio has won 46 of the past 53 games against the Warriors, including five straight in Oakland.
2. Golden State is shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range, just off the franchise record of 39.2 percent set last season
3. San Antonio limited Phoenix to 13 points in the first quarter, a season-best for the Spurs.