The San Antonio Spurs visit the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 8 and will air on ALT and FSW.
The Nuggets got blown out by the Thunder 124-102 on Tuesday. Gary Harris finished with 17 points to lead the team. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-101 loss to the Warriors on Thursday. Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 23 points.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Denver is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 25.9%. Meanwhile, the Spurs rank second in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.3%.
The Spurs have won all three matchups against the Nuggets this season, including a 101-86 victory in their last matchup. Leonard was a standout player in the game, producing 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two three-pointers.
The Nuggets enter the game with records of 32-46 Straight Up (SU) and 40-34-4 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been worse ATS (3-7) than their SU record (7-3) over their last 10 games would indicate. The most recent 10 game stretch for the Nuggets has gone great. Over that span, Denver’s opponents are averaging 94.5 points per game, well under their season average of 105.1.
Across the court, San Antonio has a SU record of 65-13 and an ATS record of 43-35. Most recently, San Antonio is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The Spurs are shooting lights out so far, with a .487 field-goal percentage that ranks second in the NBA. The Spurs are a top-five team in the league at finding the open man with an average of 24.7 assists per game. The Spurs are the top defensive team in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 92.8 points allowed per game. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Spurs, who are the fourth-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .437. They average 5.9 blocks per game, good for fourth in the league. San Antonio has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.6 per game.
With the Spurs’ last win against Denver, their SU record against the Nuggets moves to 10-0 over the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Spurs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
The Denver Nuggets score 104.2 points per home game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed on the road, giving up just 94.5 per game.
The Denver Nuggets lost their last game by 22 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the San Antonio Spurs are 26-3. Denver is 3-7 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Spurs are 54-5 on the season. When the Nuggets score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 3-23.
The San Antonio Spurs have an 11-8 record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Denver Nuggets have a 29-24 record when they reach the century mark.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 107.1 (ranked 25th), while the Spurs rank third for their offensive rating of 109.5.
San Antonio has an average field goal percentage of 48.7% (ranked second). Denver is an underachieving 4-22 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Denver is 13-21 and San Antonio is 1-2.
The San Antonio Spurs top the league in assist to turnover ratio this season with an A/TO of 1.97. The Denver Nuggets have an A/TO of 1.60 (ranked 15th).
The Denver Nuggets rebound 44.5 times per game and are ranked seventh. Ranked 15th, the San Antonio Spurs rebound 43.8 times per game.
Denver is ranked 21st in defensive rebounds, while San Antonio ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
San Antonio is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked ninth). Denver has a poor record of 13-22 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.
