Jokic, Nuggets square off against the Spurs

Thu, Mar 9, 2023
NBA News (AP)

Denver Nuggets (46-20, first in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (16-49, 14th in the Western Conference)

San Antonio; Friday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs host Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in Western Conference action.

The Spurs are 6-34 in Western Conference games. San Antonio has a 2-3 record in one-possession games.

The Nuggets have gone 32-12 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is seventh in the Western Conference with 33.1 defensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 9.5.

The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last matchup on Nov. 8 the Nuggets won 115-109 led by 26 points from Jokic, while Johnson scored 30 points for the Spurs.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tre Jones is averaging 12.5 points and 6.2 assists for the Spurs. Devonte' Graham is averaging 15.4 points over the last 10 games for San Antonio.

Jokic is averaging 24.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 3.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Denver.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 2-8, averaging 110.6 points, 45.1 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.7 points per game.

Nuggets: 8-2, averaging 115.2 points, 45.9 rebounds, 31.5 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.6 points.

INJURIES: Spurs: Zach Collins: day to day (ankle), Doug McDermott: day to day (thumb), Romeo Langford: day to day (adductor), Jeremy Sochan: day to day (knee), Khem Birch: out (knee).

Nuggets: Collin Gillespie: out (leg), Zeke Nnaji: out (shoulder), Vlatko Cancar: out (wrist).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.