Spurs at Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs come back after the All-Star break to the exact same place they left off -- visiting the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs dropped a 117-109 decision at the Nuggets on Feb. 13 and slumped into the break with losses in three straight and five of six.
San Antonio remains in third place in the Western Conference despite the recent swoon but owns a tough remaining schedule, including two games each against first-place Houston and second-place Golden State, and is beginning to consider the possibility that star small forward Kawhi Leonard (quad tendinopathy) will miss the rest of the season. "We only have X number of games left in the season, and he's still not ready to go," coach Gregg Popovich told reporters of Leonard on Wednesday. "If by some chance he is, it's gonna be pretty late into the season and it's going to be a pretty tough decision; how late to bring somebody back. So that's why I'm just trying to be honest and logical. I'll be surprised if he gets back this year." The Nuggets are moving in the opposite direction with wins in three straight and six of seven and are one of several teams in a tightly-packed West poised to overtake San Antonio if the opportunity arises. Denver star Nikola Jokic was not invited to Sunday's All-Star Game in Los Angeles but showed off the wide range of his talents while recording triple-doubles in each of the last two games before the break, including 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Spurs.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE SPURS (35-24): San Antonio power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was the team's lone All-Star representative and is confident the team can continue its remarkable stretch of 50-win seasons to 19 straight and do well in the playoffs. "We are going to get guys back and get healthy and hopefully play well down the stretch," Aldridge told reporters during All-Star weekend. "We have played well with a hurt team and getting guys back will help with that." Aldridge is getting some help in the frontcourt from center Joffrey Lauvergne, who came off the bench at Denver and scored a career-high 26 points on 12-of-15 shooting in 24 minutes.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (32-26): Denver is only 2 1/2 games behind the Spurs and followed up its win over San Antonio on Feb. 13 with a 134-123 win at Milwaukee two days later to go into the break strong. Jokic was even better against the Bucks, finishing with 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 17 assists and 15 rebounds while reaching the triple-double mark in just over 14 minutes of playing time. "Even though you see it every day, it's kind of like when I was fortunate enough to coach a guy like LeBron (James) or Chris Paul or Steph Curry," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters in reference to Jokic. "You recognize greatness. ... Some of the plays that he makes and how he makes the right play over and over again and how he makes all his teammates better players, I do admire that. I do recognize that."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets went 24-of-40 from 3-point range at Milwaukee, matching a franchise record for made 3-pointers in a contest.
2. San Antonio PG Dejounte Murray scored in double figures in each of the last four games and is averaging 9.6 points in 25 games as a starter.
3. Denver's win on Feb. 13 snapped a five-game losing streak in the series.