Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets – Game #81
Julian Champagnie and the Spurs will try to get an upset win (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs will play their second to last game of the season versus the Denver Nuggets. Both of San Antonio’s remaining games will be played at home at the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs currently have a record of 20-60, while the Nuggets sport a 56-24 record.
The Spurs were missing a lot of players in their last outing, a 127-89 thrashing at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Zach Collins led the way with 20 points and he was one of the few players who performed at an adequate level (see the Grades).
The Nuggets have a lot of motivation for tonight’s game. If Denver can win their final two contests, they will clinch the top seed in the Western Conference. The defending NBA champions will undoubtedly give it their all to beat the Spurs this evening.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
The big news in San Antonio today is that Victor Wembanyama is available to play against the Nuggets. He sat out the contest against the Thunder since it was the second night of a back-to-back. Since Wembanyama has had ankle trouble recently, the coaches opted to play it safe. Expect him to play his normal amount of minutes versus Denver.
Unfortunately, the rest of the injury news is bad for the Spurs. Along with Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson being out, the Spurs will be without Keldon Johnson, Cedi Osman, Dominick Barlow and Malaki Branham. Johnson and Osman are out with ankle injuries. Barlow remains sidelined with a bruised knee.
Branham is a new addition to the injury report. He’s dealing with concussion-like symptoms after taking an elbow to the head against the Thunder.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
The starting lineup will once again be different due to the injuries. Expect head coach Gregg Popovich to go with Victor Wembanyama at center, Sandro Mamukelashvili at power forward, Julian Champagnie at power forward and Tre Jones at point guard.
Who Popovich will select to be the fifth starter is difficult to predict. The most likely choices, in order, are Blake Wesley, Devonte’ Graham and Sidy Cissoko.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets are favored by 10.5 points and the over/under is 222.5 points. The smart money is on the Nuggets to win by 11 or more points. While Victor Wembanyama is very impactful, he won’t have much help out there. Plus, Denver really needs to get a win for playoff positioning purposes.