The San Antonio Spurs tied an NBA record with 22 straight postseason trips this year, but now the Spurs are looking to avoid a first round exit. San Antonio seemed to have No. 2 seed Denver on the ropes for a while, yet the Nuggets have shown resiliency and bounced back after others counted them out. Denver has only won one first round series in the last 25 years, but the Nuggets have to be liking their chances against a San Antonio team that doesn’t have the guns it did in the past.
This game will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on April 25, 2019, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
San Antonio Spurs -2.5 vs. Denver Nuggets, O/U 208.5
Series Recap
San Antonio looked like it would the first two games in Denver, giving the Spurs a major advantage going forward. The Spurs managed to hold on in a back-and-forth Game 1 and raced out to a 10-point halftime lead in Game 2. Denver knew their playoff lives were on the line, and they were able to rally back in order to even the series. San Antonio led most of the way in Game 3, but the Nuggets have won the last two games by double digits and may have figured out how to shut down the Spurs.
Injury Report
First round pick Michael Porter Jr. didn’t play a minute for the Nuggets this season, and Denver is hoping to have something from him next year. Aside from Porter, there is no one listed on the Nuggets injury report.
A lot was expected out of Dejounte Murray this season, but Spurs fans will have to wait for next year. Murray went down with a torn ACL in preseason and won’t play until October of 2019.
Matchup to Watch
Nikola Jokic is the rare big man that can put up a triple-double in any game. Jokic is averaging 19.6 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 9 APG against the Spurs in five games, and he has been the difference for the Nuggets offense. He hasn’t had great shooting performances, hitting better than 50 percent from the floor in just one of those games, but his impact has been seen though the other aspects of his game. No big man has his vision, and that’s why Denver’s offense runs through him.
San Antonio needs to shut down Jokic to win games, and Gregg Popovich has been trying to find a way to stop him. The problem is that he doesn’t have any real options. LaMarcus Aldridge lacks the mobility, while Jakob Poeltl is more of an offensive option. Spurs players are having to help, and Jokic is deadly at picking out the open man.
Game 6 Preview
As long as Denver can hit its open looks, the Nuggets are in great shape. Jokic gives this team something that no one else has, and that’s why Denver finished as the second-best team out West despite having just one top 20 player. Jamal Murray is usually the secondary scorer for the Nuggets, but Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, and Will Barton can all take over in spurts.
Prediction
If Denver is clicking on all cylinders, the Nuggets will get the win here. The Spurs have had a very hard time creating offense throughout this series, and it just feels like they are missing a piece. Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan have played well, but no one else has consistently showed that they can be a third option. This Denver team is starting to believe, and I think the Nuggets nip the Spurs tonight to break a long drought.
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