NBA 2018-19, Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs: Preview and Prediction

Modified Dec 28, 2018 16:21 GMT

Denver Nuggets (21-11) vs San Antonio Spurs (19-16), Pepsi Center

The Denver Nuggets will host the San Antonio Spurs at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

The Nuggets and the Spurs faced each other on Wednesday, where the Spurs won 111-103.

The Nuggets are currently the top team in the Western Conference and will be looking for revenge tonight against the Spurs.

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The Spurs are sitting at the ninth position in the Western Conference, but are the hottest team in the NBA right now.

Let us see how things stand for both sides tonight.

The Denver Nuggets perspective

The Nuggets lost their last two games, but both games were on the road. They are back to their home tonight and would be looking to take advantage of it, and take revenge on the Spurs team that beat them.

The game against the Spurs saw Nikola Jokic score just 4 points. He was dominated by the Spurs and was kept cold for the night. He has been an essential player for the Nuggets and will be itching to get back into form tonight.

It was a cold night for the guards too, as Jamal Murray scored just 9 points, while Torrey Craig contributed ten from his side. The guards will be expected to shoot better tonight at home.

The only player to watch out for the Nuggets was Juan Hernangomez, who scored a team-high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

As a team, the Nuggets are averaging 109.8 points and shooting 46.1% from the field. They are grabbing 46.8 rebounds per game, and shooting nearly 32% from beyond the three-point line.

They have been inconsistent lately, and most of that has been because of cold outings from the guards. They will be looking to get back to winning ways again.

The San Antonio Spurs perspective

The Spurs are one of the hottest teams right now in the NBA. After an excellent start to the season, they had a big slump in between, but are back to winning ways again this month.

DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge were on fire against the Nuggets on Wednesday. DeRozan scored 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished five assists, while Aldridge scored 27 points on the night.

Guard Bryn Forbes scored 15 points and four assists, while Marco Belinelli scored 12 coming off the bench.

As a team, the Spurs are averaging 111.3 points and shooting 47.5% from the field. They are grabbing 44.7 rebounds per game, and shooting nearly 36% from beyond the three-point line.

They have won four out of the last five played and will be looking to rise higher in the Western Conference rankings with a win against the number one ranked team.

Injury updates

San Antonio Spurs:

Dejounte Murray (torn right ACL)- OUT

Pau Gasol (foot soreness)- OUT

Denver Nuggets:

Isaiah Thomas- OUT

Paul Millsap- OUT

Gary Harris- OUT

Will Barton- OUT

Key Matchups

Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gay

Mason Plumlee vs LeMarcus Aldridge

How things might unfold

The Spurs kept Jokic quiet by double-teaming him and sometimes even tripling him. Jokic scored only 4 points but still had ten assists in the game. Jokic is MVP material and is not a guy who will have back-to-back off nights. Also, guards on the perimeter had an off day and are expected to perform better at home tonight.

Spurs, on the other hand, have been excellent lately, but most of their wins have come at home. They are still not consistent on the road and might have a tough outing tonight.