Clippers at Spurs
A pair of teams heading in opposite directions in the Western Conference meet Sunday in San Antonio as the surging Spurs host the Los Angeles Clippers, losers of five straight. The Spurs have won eight of 11, a run that began when they knocked off the Clippers in Los Angeles on Dec. 29, after capping a 2-0 road trip with a 116-113 win at Minnesota on Friday.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and Rudy Gay added 22 as San Antonio withstood the absence of leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (ankle), who is expected to return Sunday. "Coach [Gregg Popovich] said don't think about [DeRozan's injury] and play basketball, and we've got to win the game no matter what," forward Davis Bertans told reporters. The Clippers entered the Dec. 29 meeting with the Spurs with a 21-14 record but that setback ignited a 3-7 swoon. They shot just 36.5 percent from the floor in Friday's 112-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors to end an 0-4 homestand.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (24-21): Already without third-leading scorer Lou Williams (hamstring), Los Angeles lost second-leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (back spasms) early in Friday's loss. Coach Doc Rivers indicated that Gallinari is expected to miss the next couple of games, leaving more on the plate for fellow forward Tobias Harris, who scored 28 points against the Warriors. Reserve Montrezl Harrell can also help fill the void but he managed just four points - one more than his season low - in 27 minutes Friday.
ABOUT THE SPURS (27-20): DeRozan was probably in need of a night off amid a scoring slump that had seen him average 14.2 points - more than seven below his season average - on 36.9 percent shooting over the last five games. "When you play a lot of minutes, a lot of things accumulate that you've got to deal with, so it was kind of good just to get a rest," he told reporters Friday. "Don't play until Sunday, get some treatment. So, a couple days for me is going to be big." The 29-year-old is averaging 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and six assists in three matchups with the Clippers this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Aldridge scored 38 points in 36 minutes in the Dec. 29 encounter.
2. Clippers rookie PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career high-tying 24 points Friday after producing a total of 26 over his previous five contests.
3. Popovich earned his 520th career road win Friday to tie Pat Riley for the most in NBA history. He will have a chance at No. 521 on Wednesday in Philadelphia.