The win streak lives on for the San Antonio Spurs, as they find themselves halfway to another double-digit tally. They\u2019ve only lost one game between the months of February and March, as they\u2019ve worked their way into a hot pursuit of the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, and the #1 seed in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
However, in order to achieve that goal (and further extend the streak), they\u2019ll likely have to win their way through one of the toughest stretches of the season.<\/p>\n
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Starting with the Nuggets, the Spurs will then face the rapidly rising Charlotte Hornets, a Clippers team that was one quarter away from running them off of the court, and (after a breather against the Kings) match-ups against the Phoenix Suns (tanking Pacers) and Miami Heat.<\/p>\n
The Suns and Heat have both given the Spurs fits in the recent past, and apparently Bam Adebayo has been possessed by the ghost of Wilt Chamberlain<\/a>, so who even knows what to predict there?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get back to Denver, though, who just got finished laying waste to the #4 seed that is the badly-listing Houston Rockets, to the tune of 129-93.<\/p>\n How did they manage that, you might ask? Oh, by having 8 different Nuggets score 15+ points, that\u2019s all.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n With all the injuries they\u2019ve endured to key players this season, it\u2019s been easy to forget that the Nuggets are also an incredibly deep squad.<\/p>\n That the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon for weeks, and are still just a game out of the 3# seed is a testament to that depth, and how (not unlike the Spurs) they have been tested to the point of improvement and cohesion.<\/p>\n No longer does Jokic have to soak up all possible minutes at center after the addition of the still-reliable Jonas Valanciunas. No longer does the bench collapse in the absence of the Joker\u2019s offensive impetus, ranking 7th in True Shooting Percentage and 5th in Field-Goal Percentage.<\/p>\n Denver\u2019s front office has surrounded their big man with long-distance demons, to the tune of ranking 1st in the NBA in three-point percentage, at just shy of 40%.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The point being that when healthy the way they were Wednesday night, this Nuggets team might actually be the biggest roadblock for the Spurs come the postseason.<\/p>\n Pick an offensive stat. Just about any offensive stat, and I can guarantee the Nuggets are in the top 5 or top 10 of that category.<\/p>\n They\u2019re great passers (9th in assists, 1st in assist%), great shooters (2nd in FG%, 5th in FT%), great at limiting mistakes (1st in assist-to-turnover ratio and 3rd best in limiting turnovers), and consequently, are great scorers (2nd in scoring).<\/p>\n Outside of injury, they do have two weaknesses, though.<\/p>\n One is rebounding, where they rank near the bottom third of the league (19th), and especially offensive rebounding (26th). Part of that is due to how many shots they sink, but in the event of a miss, the Spurs must keep the Nuggets from getting a second shot.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The other flaw is the defensive end. And by that, I mean, basically all of it.<\/p>\n The Nuggets are dead last in steals, 2nd to last in blocks, and rank 22nd in Defensive Rating. They\u2019re about as bad as a team can be on defense and still be really good, and they do not create offensive opportunities on that end. And oddly, they\u2019ve actually somehow been worse on that end (29th) over the last 5 games.<\/p>\n That could be very unfortunate timing for the Nuggets, just as the Spurs are on an offensive tear, ranking 1st in Offensive Rating, 1st in True Shooting, 1st in Effective Field Goal Percentage, 1st in three-point shooting (42%), and 3rd in scoring over that same five-game stretch.<\/p>\n There is, of course, a bit of a wrinkle, as it seems there must be.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama has found his way onto the injury report in questionable status, after a couple of games in which he flirted with 40 minutes and took more than a couple of shots to the face and body.<\/p>\n Speaking as someone who has thoroughly enjoyed and also assigned Wemby-Jokic match-ups a household priority since Wembanyama entered the league, that would be a bummer from the viewer\/fan\/basketball lover\u2019s perspective. (Though, yes, I can certainly see the \u2018long-term benefit\u2019 *teenaged eye roll*)<\/p>\n However, I\u2019m starting to find myself brimming with an almost idiotic degree of optimism, a dangerous thing for anyone who has to write about any team. You don\u2019t have to write about humiliating losses. I almost certainly will.<\/p>\n But gosh-darn it, these kids have really been filling up my cup of joy! I think they can win this thing, with or without their fearless leader. They\u2019re that good. They\u2019re that tough. They\u2019re that freaking cocky<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping Wemby\u2019s healthy enough to play, and here\u2019s hoping the Nuggets underestimate the kiddos if he\u2019s not.<\/p>\n Go! Spurs! Go! (and please don\u2019t make me regret this)<\/p>\n March 12th, 2026 | 8:00 PM CTWatch: FanDuel Southwest| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)<\/p>\n