OffRtg: 118.6 (5) DefRtg: 110.2 (3) NetRtg: +8.4 (2) Pace: 100.8 (12)
From Feb. 1 to April 1, the Spurs went 26-1 with Victor Wembanyama in uniform, outscoring their opponents by an amazing 24.9 points per 100 possessions in his 800 minutes on the floor. But that wasn’t good enough to catch the Thunder, and the Spurs’ overtime loss to the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon has them three games back of Oklahoma City with four games to play.
One takeaway
The loss on Saturday was the first time this season (in three meetings) that Wembanyama had played against Denver, and it was the Spurs’ worst defensive game (136 points allowed on 107 possessions) since December. The Nuggets shot just 21-for-41 (51%) in the paint, but were 9-for-14 from mid-range and 9-for-19 on corner 3-pointers.
The Spurs lead the league in the percentage of their opponents’ shots (13%) that have come from mid-range and have the seventh highest opponent corner rate (percentage of their opponents’ 3-point attempts that come from the corners), and Denver is uniquely qualified to keep Wembanyama occupied and have five shooters on the floor. The Nuggets’ nine players who’ve shot 38% or better on at least 100 3-point attempts are three more than any other team has.
What to watch for this week
While the Spurs aren’t quite locked into the 2 seed in the West (and the second best record overall), they’re close. But to qualify for awards consideration, Wembanyama needs to play in three more games, logging at least 20 minutes in two of the three and at least 15 minutes in the third. The Spurs are the only team without any more road games and while their season finale against Denver might not mean anything to them, there’s a chance it will determine whether the Nuggets pass the shorthanded Lakers in the standings and become a potential opponent in the second round.