Spurs at Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs have fared pretty well in the latter half of back-to-back games. The Spurs will vie for their fifth win in seven such circumstances on Tuesday when they visit the Denver Nuggets. Shorthanded San Antonio was able to hang with streaking Oklahoma City well into the second half before running out of the steam in a 107-93 setback on Monday.
Denver posted its second straight victory and moved above .500 with a convincing 122-97 win over Sacramento on Sunday. JaVale McGee had 19 points and Danilo Gallinari added 18 for the Nuggets, who shot 54 percent en route amassing their season-high point total. Coach George Karl's club returns to the Rocky Mountains, where it has won six of seven while averaging 103.1 points.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Southwest (San Antonio), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE SPURS (19-7): San Antonio saw six players reach double figures in a 126-100 triumph over Denver on Nov. 17. Manu Ginobili led the charge with 20 points, but he sat out against Oklahoma City after bruising his left quadriceps versus Boston on Saturday. Rookie Frenchman Nando de Colo continues to make the most of his minutes. He scored all 14 of his points in the second half against the Thunder.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (13-12): Jordan Hamilton scored a season-high 15 points - all of which came in the second quarter on Sunday. The small forward's output actually trumped his total for the month of December. Andre Iguodala continues to distribute the ball as he led the team in assists for the second straight game. Igoudala has 22 helpers in his last three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. San Antonio has won eight of its last 10 games against Denver - including four of five in the Rocky Mountains.
2. Gallinari had 15 points to lead six Nuggets in double figures against the Spurs on Nov. 17.
3. San Antonio's Stephen Jackson returned from a 14-game absence with a broken finger. He recorded five points and four rebounds on Monday.