Nuggets Looking To Close Out Spurs
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference first-round playoffs, at AT&T Center on Thursday evening.
The Nuggets have won the last two in a row, as they bounced back from a 2-1 deficit in the series, to take the 3-2 lead and put the Spurs on the brink of elimination. Luckily for the Spurs, they have a chance to even the series from their home court, where they went 32-9 during the regular season, which was one of the top home records in the league. However, the Nuggets have already won a game on the road in this series, as they avoided going down 3-1 with a win in Game 4, in San Antonio.
So far, Jamal Murray has been a huge factor in the Nuggets' success in the series, as he is averaging 23.7 points in wins and 11.5 points in losses. Nikola Jokic has been solid all around, averaging 19.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the series, including 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, in a crucial Game 4 win. The Nuggets shot 50 percent from the field in Game 5 and will need to bring that same efficiency to have their best shot to close out the series in six.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan has been consistent for San Antonio, averaging 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. His best performance of the series so far came in Game 3, where he tallied 25 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. LaMarcus Aldridge has also been steady, averaging 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Derrick White came up huge for the Spurs in Game 3 as well, where he dropped a playoff career-high with 36 points, however he has been much closer to his averages in the rest of the games.
The Nuggets have won the last two in a row, as they bounced back from a 2-1 deficit in the series, to take the 3-2 lead and put the Spurs on the brink of elimination. Luckily for the Spurs, they have a chance to even the series from their home court, where they went 32-9 during the regular season, which was one of the top home records in the league. However, the Nuggets have already won a game on the road in this series, as they avoided going down 3-1 with a win in Game 4, in San Antonio.
So far, Jamal Murray has been a huge factor in the Nuggets' success in the series, as he is averaging 23.7 points in wins and 11.5 points in losses. Nikola Jokic has been solid all around, averaging 19.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the series, including 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, in a crucial Game 4 win. The Nuggets shot 50 percent from the field in Game 5 and will need to bring that same efficiency to have their best shot to close out the series in six.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan has been consistent for San Antonio, averaging 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. His best performance of the series so far came in Game 3, where he tallied 25 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. LaMarcus Aldridge has also been steady, averaging 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Derrick White came up huge for the Spurs in Game 3 as well, where he dropped a playoff career-high with 36 points, however he has been much closer to his averages in the rest of the games.