West’s best winning streaks collide as Spurs visit Nuggets
San Antonio's first dynasty ended when Tim Duncan retired with five NBA titles over 19 seasons. Ten years later, the Spurs are hoping to build another one behind Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio (59-18) still is in the hunt for the top seed in the Western Conference and faces a tough challenge when it visits the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon in a matchup of two surging teams.
The Spurs have won 11 in a row, including a 118-99 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night without Wembanyama in the lineup. San Antonio should have the big man back to battle Nikola Jokic, however.
Wembanyama was the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for March after averaging 3.7 blocks and amassing 20 steals. He leads the NBA in blocks at 3.1 per game while averaging 24.7 points and 11.5 rebounds.
At just 22 years old, he's one of five core players aged 25 or younger. At 28, De'Aaron Fox is the elder statesman on a young squad that has improved from 34 wins in 2024-25.
The group's inexperience has led to lowered expectations for the postseason, but Wembanyama isn't worried about outside noise.
"We don't have experience, right? Screw it," Wembanyama told ESPN. "That's all we got. We're not going to play any different way just because it is this way. We're still going to play 100% and try to win this championship. Screw it."
The Spurs face a Denver team that is riding its longest winning streak of the season. The Nuggets (49-28) have reeled off seven wins in a row to move into the fourth seed and a chance at No. 3 with Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic suffering a hamstring injury Thursday night.
Denver is a game back of the Lakers, who have the tiebreaker over the Nuggets. Should Denver overtake Los Angeles it could set up a potential second-round matchup against San Antonio if the Spurs don't catch Oklahoma City.
The Nuggets' winning streak has coincided with improved health, although reserves Tim Hardaway Jr. (knee) and Peyton Watson (hamstring) left Wednesday's 130-117 win at Utah and may not be available Saturday.
Denver does have Jokic, who clinched a triple-double average for the second straight season with 12 assists against the Jazz. Jokic is averaging 27.7 points and leads the league with 13.0 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game. He also is averaging a career-high 3.9 turnovers.
The fear in past seasons was how the Nuggets play in the non-Jokic minutes, which they addressed in the offseason by trading for 7-foot Jonas Valanciunas. However, Valanciunas has seen his playing time diminish with Denver opting for a smaller lineup without Jokic on the floor, but the veteran has been professional about the situation.
"We will see," Valanciunas told the Denver Post. "When they need me, I'm here. I'm working. I'm ready. No question about it, 100% here. And I'm 100% ready."