Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets – Game #17
Jeremy Sochan and the Spurs will try to defeat the defending champs (Photo via Twitter)
Things definitely appear to be gloomy for the San Antonio Spurs right now. Riding an 11-game losing streak, the Spurs are in Denver tonight to take on the Nuggets, the defending NBA champions. San Antonio, with a record of 3-13, have the third worst record in the NBA — only ahead of the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, who are both 2-14 on the season.
The good news for the Spurs is that the Nuggets haven’t been playing their best basketball as of late. While Denver has a record of 10-6, they’ve lost their last two games and four of their previous five games. The Nuggets only win in their last five contests was a close win over the lowly Pistons.
Considering that the Spurs don’t play again until Thursday, a win tonight is needed to stop the bad feelings from continuing to linger.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
For the second straight game, the Spurs have no injuries to report. Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones have all missed games this season but they’re ready to go against the Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets Injury Update
The injury news isn’t as good for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray will miss the game due to a hamstring injury. Aaron Gordon is questionable against the Spurs with a heel injury. Nikola Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson are listed as probable. Obviously, if Jokic and Gordon sit out tonight’s game, San Antonio’s chances of notching a victory greatly improve.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
The last two games, head coach Gregg Popovich has started Jeremy Sochan at point guard, Malaki Branham at shooting guard, Keldon Johnson at small forward, Victor Wembanyama at power forward and Zach Collins at center. Devin Vassell has been coming off the bench after his return from an adductor injury. At some point, Vassell will return to the starting lineup. When will that happen? It could be as soon as tonight — but that’s far from guaranteed at this point.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Nuggets
Prognosticators have the Nuggets at 11.5-point favorites and the over/under is at 230.5 points. Considering that the Nuggets haven’t won a game by more than four points in their last eight outings, the smart money is on the Spurs tonight to at least keep things close. Add in Denver’s injury question marks and San Antonio’s healthy roster — and this appears to be a relatively safe bet.