Spurs Look For Revenge Against Visiting Heat
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Miami Heat at AT&T Center on Sunday afternoon.
This marks the second matchup of the week between the Spurs and the Heat, as the Heat emerged with the win after a hard-fought contest on Wednesday. Kendrick Nunn went off with 33 points, and Bam Adebayo added 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, while DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds, in the contest.
The Spurs (17-23) are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have lost their last two in a row. They have dropped two of their last three home games and have a 11-10 home record. The Spurs are shooting 36.5 percent from long range, but they are attempting a league-low 28.0 three-pointers per game. DeMar DeRozan has been playing great lately, averaging 28.1 points per game, while shooting 62.9 percent from the field, over the last 10 games. LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 18.4 points on 48.5 percent shooting, over the last 10 games.
Meanwhile, the Heat (29-12) have won six of their last 10 games, including their last two in a row. This marks the second game of a two-game road trip for the Heat, while they have won two of their last three on the road and have an 11-11 road record. The Heat average 111.6 points per game and are shooting 37.8 percent from long range, which is second best in the league. Jimmy Butler leads the Heat with 20.3 points, 6.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Bam Adebayo is averaging 15.9 points and team highs with 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
This marks the second matchup of the week between the Spurs and the Heat, as the Heat emerged with the win after a hard-fought contest on Wednesday. Kendrick Nunn went off with 33 points, and Bam Adebayo added 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, while DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds, in the contest.
The Spurs (17-23) are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have lost their last two in a row. They have dropped two of their last three home games and have a 11-10 home record. The Spurs are shooting 36.5 percent from long range, but they are attempting a league-low 28.0 three-pointers per game. DeMar DeRozan has been playing great lately, averaging 28.1 points per game, while shooting 62.9 percent from the field, over the last 10 games. LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 18.4 points on 48.5 percent shooting, over the last 10 games.
Meanwhile, the Heat (29-12) have won six of their last 10 games, including their last two in a row. This marks the second game of a two-game road trip for the Heat, while they have won two of their last three on the road and have an 11-11 road record. The Heat average 111.6 points per game and are shooting 37.8 percent from long range, which is second best in the league. Jimmy Butler leads the Heat with 20.3 points, 6.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Bam Adebayo is averaging 15.9 points and team highs with 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Nuggets Host Pacers on Sunday
The Indiana Pacers travel to Colorado to face the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on Sunday.
The Pacers (27-15) come into this matchup in the midst of a four-game winning streak, continuing yet another magical season. Many people didn't expect a whole lot out of this team with Victor Oladipo out for the first three months but they've responded with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. What makes them really scary is the fact that Oladipo's return is right around the corner, projected to return within two weeks. That's the best play-maker on this team and it pairs beautifully with the growth of Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon. What also makes them a great team is their defense, ranked Top-7 in points allowed and defensive efficiency. That's a recipe for any good team and this is a club people need to take notice of in the second half of the season.
The Nuggets (29-12) nearly suffered a devastating loss against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday but they overcome a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to prevail with a victory. While that's a win they expect to get, they had to do it with Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap all out. That forced Malik Beasley, Michael Porter Jr and Mason Plumlee into huge roles and all three guys responded with some of the best games of their careers. That victory marked Denver's fifth win over their last six games too, climbing them up to the two-seed in the west. The big difference this season is their defense, allowing the fourth-fewest points in the NBA. If they can keep doing that while getting sparkling performances from those talented bench players, this will be a scary team with Nikola Jokic as the front of the pack.
Denver won the first game between these teams, 124-118, on January 2. Prior to that, these teams split each of the last two season series against one another, with the home team prevailing in all four games.
The Pacers (27-15) come into this matchup in the midst of a four-game winning streak, continuing yet another magical season. Many people didn't expect a whole lot out of this team with Victor Oladipo out for the first three months but they've responded with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. What makes them really scary is the fact that Oladipo's return is right around the corner, projected to return within two weeks. That's the best play-maker on this team and it pairs beautifully with the growth of Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon. What also makes them a great team is their defense, ranked Top-7 in points allowed and defensive efficiency. That's a recipe for any good team and this is a club people need to take notice of in the second half of the season.
The Nuggets (29-12) nearly suffered a devastating loss against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday but they overcome a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to prevail with a victory. While that's a win they expect to get, they had to do it with Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap all out. That forced Malik Beasley, Michael Porter Jr and Mason Plumlee into huge roles and all three guys responded with some of the best games of their careers. That victory marked Denver's fifth win over their last six games too, climbing them up to the two-seed in the west. The big difference this season is their defense, allowing the fourth-fewest points in the NBA. If they can keep doing that while getting sparkling performances from those talented bench players, this will be a scary team with Nikola Jokic as the front of the pack.
Denver won the first game between these teams, 124-118, on January 2. Prior to that, these teams split each of the last two season series against one another, with the home team prevailing in all four games.