One might expect a Spurs letdown on Monday. After all they did just finish off a perfect 5-0 homestand by knocking off the best team in the Association. With a chance to reach 60 wins for the sixth time in its history, San Antonio goes for a seventh straight victory overall and 11th in row versus Charlotte.
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LOOK AHEAD
The Spurs knocked off some of the top teams in the West during their five-game homestand and now play their only road game in a span of eight. San Antonio’s 87-79 win Saturday over Golden State avenged an earlier 30-point loss and ran the Spurs’ record to 35-0 at the ATT Center this season. And while they’re coming off perhaps their best win of the season, the Spurs are making certain not to get too full of themselves. San Antonio moved within three games of the Warriors for the top spot in the Western Conference, and while the Spurs say finishing first is not their top priority, it’s hard to believe otherwise, especially considering how important homecourt has been to both sides this season.
The Spurs will need to be focused as they take on the Hornets, whose 17-5 record since Jan. 31 is the NBA’s third-best behind San Antonio and Golden State. Charlotte, in a tight four-team race between third and sixth in the East, looks to regroup after Saturday’s loss to Denver – only its third in 15 home games. Monday ends a run of nine home games in the last 10 for the Hornets, who embark on a four-game road trip Tuesday and play seven of their next eight away from home.
INJURIES
Tim Duncan came off the bench and played just eight minutes in Saturday’s win over the Warriors. The decision was made to match up with Golden State and was not due to any injury concerns involving the soon-to-be 40 year-old center.
Hornets center Cody Zeller missed the second half of Thursday’s game due to knee soreness, but returned to play 29 minutes in the loss to Denver on Saturday. Forward Spencer Hawes was in uniform but didn’t play against the Nuggets. He’s returning from a back injury that shelved him for several weeks.
KEY MATCHUP
LaMarcus Aldridge left the only franchise he ever knew and spurned bigger markets to join the Spurs because he wanted the challenge to excel on a great team. Aldridge took plenty of heat in the Spurs blowout loss at Golden State in January, a game in which he scored five points and was a ghost. He made a commitment to “lock in” after that game, and he’s lived up to it. Fast forward to Saturday’s second meeting between the teams where Aldridge poured in 26 and grabbed 13 rebounds, looking every bit the cornerstone of one of the best teams in the league. Aldridge is putting up much better numbers with the passing of games as his comfort level continues to grow. In nine games so far in March, Aldridge is averaging 24 points on 56 percent shooting. He was at 17 points on 53 percent shooting when the Spurs fell to the Warriors in late January. Those paying attention have noticed that Aldridge is peaking at the right time.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Hornets have been playing good basketball and are a surprise in the Eastern Conference, holding down the sixth seed and just 1.5 games out of first in the Southeast Division. Their loss to Denver at home on Saturday was a blow for a team still trying to assert itself in the middle of the pack. It’s possible Charlotte had an eye toward Monday’s game, after all the Hornets have lost 10 straight and 20 of 22 to the Spurs, so a glance past the Nuggets can’t be faulted. How the Hornets played, however, is inexcusable.
Should Charlotte play like that on Monday, this game isn’t close. But having the Spurs in town always brings out the best in teams. While San Antonio is chasing 60 wins and the Warriors, the losses have all come on the road. The Hornets are fighting to stay in the playoff picture and for positioning, but the Spurs have plenty at stake as well.
San Antonio 105, Charlotte 98
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