While the Spurs are locked into the No. 2 seed, the Nuggets could finish as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, depending on how things play out Sunday night.
SAN ANTONIO — The NBA regular season is coming to a close Sunday as the Spurs take on the team that has arguably caused them the most problems during their 62-win season: the Denver Nuggets.
While the Spurs are locked in the No. 2 seed, the Nuggets could finish as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed depending how things play out Sunday night.
If Denver beats San Antonio, they remain the No. 3 seed and will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. If they lose to the Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz, Denver would fall to the No. 4 seed and will host the No. 5 seeded Houston Rockets.
Based on the injury report, Denver appears more likely to fall in the standings.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones have all been ruled out against the Spurs. Nikola Jokic is still questionable with a right wrist injury.
The Spurs, who have already secured the No. 2 seed, have Victor Wembanyama listed as out and Stephon Castle listed as questionable.
Wembanyama has already met the NBA’s 65-game requirement for award eligibility, meaning he does not need to play Sunday.
The game still carries postseason implications for San Antonio.
If the Nuggets do get the No. 3 seed and beat the Timberwolves in the first round, that would set up a Spurs-Nuggets second round matchup, assuming San Antonio advances past the No. 7 seed.
Given the Spurs have had their problems with Denver all season, it’s likely they wouldn’t want to face them as early as the second round.
If Denver falls to the No. 4 seed and beats the No. 5 seeded Rockets in the first round, that would set up a Thunder-Nuggets second round matchup, potentially keeping two of the Spurs’ biggest Western Conference challengers on the opposite side of the bracket.
That scenario could leave San Antonio facing either the Lakers or Timberwolves in the second round.
While San Antonio has had its struggles with Minnesota, losing the season series 2-1, I’m sure many Spurs fans would rather play them in the second round than both Denver and Oklahoma City in the same playoff run.
The Lakers-Jazz game is another key factor. If Denver loses, the Lakers must beat Utah to move ahead in the standings.
The Lakers’ injury report currently has Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Jaxson Hayes all ruled out. LeBron James is currently questionable. Utah, meanwhile, has several key players sidelined.
The result adds another layer of uncertainty to an already fluid playoff picture.
How to watch
The game will be televised on ESPN and FanDuel Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT Sunday. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama* (25.0), De’Aaron Fox (18.5), Stephon Castle* (16.8)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama* (11.5), Luke Kornet (6.1), Julian Champagnie (5.8)
- ASSISTS: Castle* (7.4), Fox (6.2), Dylan Harper (3.9)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama* (3.1), Kornet (1.0), Champagnie (0.5)
- POINTS: Nikola Jokic* (27.8), Jamal Murray* (25.4), Aaron Gordon* (16.2)
- REBOUNDS: Jokic (12.9), Gordon* (5.8), Jonas Valanciunas (5.0)
- ASSISTS: Jokic* (10.8), Murray*(7.1), Christian Braun* (2.7)
- BLOCKS: Watson* (1.1), Jokic* (0.8), Valanciunas (0.6)
Injury report
As of Sunday evening, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up (subject to change):
- Victor Wembanyama – Out (Ribs)
- Stephon Castle – Questionable (Foot)
- Luke Kornet – Out (Shoulder)
- Nikola Jokic – Questionable (Wrist)
- Jamal Murray – Out (Shoulder)
- Christian Braun – Out (Ankle)
- Aaron Gordon – Out (Hamstring)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. – Out (Knee)
- Cameron Johnson – Out (Ankle)
- Spencer Jones – Out (Hamstring)
- Peyton Watson – Out (Hamstring)
Five more things to know
- The Nuggets are one of five teams to beat the Spurs twice this season (Warriors, Suns, Cavs, Timberwolves)
- Nikola Jokic has averaged 30.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 11.7 assists against the Spurs this season.
- The Nuggets have the best offense in the league, averaging 122 PPG. The Spurs have the seventh-best scoring defense, allowing 111.3 PPG.
- Denver shoots the best from 3-point range percentage-wise, shooting a sizzling 39.6% and hitting 14.2 a game.
- The Nuggets turn the ball over the third-least of any team, only giving it up 12.2 times. The Spurs are the fourth-best, only turning it over 12.7 times.