Game Thread: Nuggets at Spurs 8:30 EST (7:30 CST, 3:30 Riga Time)
Preview:
http://espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=400579426
Another 50-win season appears inevitable for the red-hot San Antonio Spurs. Their chances of securing a fifth consecutive Southwest Division le or reaching the Western Conference's top four are a little less clear.
The Spurs have made strides in closing the gap and will try for a sixth consecutive win while extending their dominance over the lowly Denver Nuggetson Friday night.
San Antonio (49-26) is on the verge of extending its NBA record of 15 consecutive 50-win seasons after clinching an 18th straight trip to the playoffs with a 103-91 victory over Orlando on Wednesday.
The Spurs were 34-23 on Feb. 25, putting them on a 49-win pace. They're on the brink of reaching the 50-victory plateau with games to spare thanks to a 15-3 stretch, and they're now pushing for the Southwest lead after once trailing by 7 1/2 games.
San Antonio is also a half-game behind the fifth-place Los Angeles Clippers in the conference and two back of division rival Memphis, one of the West's top four teams. The Spurs won't face the Grizzlies or Clippers in their final seven games but have a home-and-home series next week against Houston, the other team ahead of them in the Southwest.
"The main concern right now is just to play well," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We've had a lot of ups and downs during the season and in the last few weeks except for (an overtime loss at New York on March 17) we've been pretty steady. That's a good sign."
The Spurs are looking for a seventh consecutive victory over Denver (28-47) and eighth in nine home matchups.
San Antonio has won five straight and 20 of 23 at home. Denver, 0-2 on a three-game trip, has lost five of six on the road after a 98-84 loss to Utah on Wednesday.
The Nuggets had one of their worst shooting performances of the season at 34.7 percent and went 7 of 33 from 3-point range, dropping to 8-8 under interim coach Melvin Hunt.
Denver won six of its first eight after Hunt took over for Brian Shaw on March 3.
"We're going to play as hard as we can against San Antonio. We're going to bring everything that we have to the table to try to win a game," Hunt said. "There is no mantra or rally cry or 'run through the tape.' There's none of that. We're going to play hard.
"If we play hard and play together, we'll find wins."
Tony Parker has averaged a team-best 21.0 points along with 7.0 assists and 58.1 percent shooting in the past two games against Denver. Kawhi Leonard has averaged 20.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in the three matchups this season.
Leonard had 25 points and Parker 24 in the most recent meeting, a 120-111 home victory March 6.
Denver's Kenneth Faried has averaged 22.0 points and 11.8 rebounds in his last four against San Antonio. He matched a season high with 26 points and grabbed 14 boards in a 109-99 home loss to the Spurs on Jan. 20.
15 straight years of 50 wins or more continues tonight. That is an amazing feat considering they had to do one in a 66 game season that saw them play 4 back-to-back-to-back games and numerous back-to-back games to boot.
Dude, just thinking about this makes me appreciate being from San Antonio and a Spurs fan. And pretty much since I can remember, the Spurs have made the playoffs every year except one.
Yeah, it is an absolutely amazing accomplishment. And the 50 win season streak, if you prorate the '99 season, extends all the way back to the year D-Rob got injured and we ended up with Timmy in the next draft. It's unparalleled. Let's hope the streak continues many more years.
Let's get this tonight!
I'll be at this one. Hoping for a good ol' fashion McNugget stomping!
Easy win
Nuggets by 10
Let's get this tonight!
Hoping for no injuries folks. Lets close the season out and on to bigger fish
It's pretty remarkable tbh
I'll never, ever have the kind of love for a team that I do for the Spurs I've watched over the past two decades. I still remember playing NBA Live 95 in 1994 thinking, "Yeah, you know Vinny Del Negro is a decent point guard!" Or that JR Reid was a serviceable big off the bench.How little I knew then....
It's been a wild ride. Even before we got Duncan this team was amazing to root for, some of the best camaraderie I've ever seen in sports with DRob leading the charge.
Let's win out (haha) and then go get another le.
Only 10? Again, Down on the Nuggets?
Getting #50 tonight
Why is there always Riga time in the game threads? I don't see many latvians in spurstalk...
You see one, and that's all it takes.
In related news, a friend of mine might be a 49ers Cheerleader this season.
I'm so appreciative of this team! Tonight will likely be another milestone in their path of greatness! Thanks Bill for posting Melissa...almost guaranteeing a win!
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