Spurs at Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs no longer have a chance to overtake Golden State
for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and also can't reach the
70-win mark. Both those pursuits ended when San Antonio suffered a
112-101 loss to the Warriors on Thursday, and the Spurs look to return to
their winning ways when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
San Antonio has recorded three double-digit victories over Denver this season and another win would increase its series winning streak to 11. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is expected to rest several players on the second contest of a back-to-back as being fresh for the playoffs is a high priority. "No matter who we're playing (Friday), we'd sit them," Popovich told reporters. "Doesn't matter. So the opponent's not the thing. It's about minutes, time, age, all that stuff." Denver is fading at the finish line and has lost three straight games and five of its last six.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE SPURS (65-13): All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge dislocated his right pinky finger in the first quarter against the Warriors and had just 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Aldridge has scored 14 or fewer points in three of the past four games and San Antonio would like to see him get back on track as quickly as possible. "I was concerned," Popovich said after the contest. "I think he's OK. It came out and they put it back in. It came out again and they put it back in. Probably sore but probably OK."
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (32-47): Veteran point guard D.J. Augustin has been a solid contributor since being acquired from Oklahoma City and is averaging 12.6 points and five assists in 25 games. Denver is the seventh franchise for which Augustin has played and he could be on the move again after this season as a free agent as the Nuggets are happy with rookie Emmanuel Mudiay. "The biggest challenge for D.J. is on the defensive end, like all of us," Denver coach Michael Malone recently told reporters. "But he's playing at a high level. The way he's shooting the ball, the way he's handling the ball and sharing the ball has been a big positive for us."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. San Antonio has prevailed in each of its last five visits to Denver.
2. Spurs All-Star SF Kawhi Leonard is averaging 24.7 points over the last three games.
3. Denver backup F Darrell Arthur (sore knees) is expected to miss his third straight game.