The 49-28 Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic will be hosting the 58-18 San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on Saturday afternoon. If the Spurs win on Thursday Night, it will be two winning streaks clashing. The Nuggets have seven straight wins, and San Antonio would have an 11-game straight and 27 out of 29 with a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
This game would give people a good read on where Denver stands right now. Jokic and company are on a seven-game win streak, which is great news. The one caveat, however, is that the competition hasn’t been stiff in that span.
The streak includes two wins over the Utah Jazz, a depleted Golden State Warriors team, and the Dallas Mavericks. It’s hard to state whether the Nuggets have truly turned a corner or if the schedule worked in their favor. They haven’t fared well against the top three teams in each conference.
Denver is a combined 2-6 against the Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Lakers. They are 2-4 against the top three teams in the East, and if we want to include the New York Knicks, that would make it 2-6 also. For the NBA world to take them seriously, they must win some games against the upper echelon teams.
Beating the middling to bad teams is good for standing purposes, but it doesn’t help the Nuggets’ chances in terms of winning a title.
San Antonio is on a run for the ages. As of April 2nd, the Spurs are 58-18 and are 26-2 since the beginning of February. There is no doubt that this group is title contenders.
San Antonio’s resume against the top teams is impressive. In the West, they are 8-3 against the other teams in the top four. That bunch includes Denver, Los Angeles, and OKC. They are 4-1 against the Thunder, which is impossible to fathom.
Against the top four teams in the East, the Spurs are a bit more vulnerable. They are 5-4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons. Overall, they are 12-7 against the “real” contenders of the league, and for a team that young, that’s scary for the rest of the league.
San Antonio is in the top five in offense and defensive rating. They can win in a shootout, and they can win an ugly defensive game.
The Nuggets and Spurs have played twice so far. The season series is split, with each team winning on the other team’s home court. Wemby did not play either game, so Saturday will be the first matchup between the Alien and the Joker.
Both games ended with each team scoring 130+. That type of game favors Denver. A high-scoring, fast-paced game will play right into the hands of the Nuggets’ number-one-ranked offense.
The Spurs need to slow down the game and make it a defensive battle. Denver’s defensive rating is ranked 18th, which is the worst in the fourth quarter. If the Nuggets’ offense is struggling, it’s not likely that their defense will pick up the slack.
San Antonio’s ability to win any type of game will be crucial in this matchup. A matchup to watch within the matchup is Jokic vs Wembanyama. Wemby has a defensive rating of 102.9, which is the best in the league. Joker, meanwhile, has the best offensive rating of 125.6. The classic case of unstoppable force meets immovable object.
It will be interesting to see which side gives in. Historically, Jokic has made his way in this matchup with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists per game against the Alien. Wemby, though, is a much better player in year three, and it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll have any answers this time around.
It’s going to be interesting to see what prevails not only on Saturday, but down the stretch.
Will the championship pedigree of the Nuggets prevail, or will the fresh energy of the young Spurs be the key to a deep run?
This matchup on Saturday might give the fans a good preview of what’s to come.
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