Will San Antonio Spurs stave off elimination when they host Denver Nuggets in Game 6?
Watch Nuggets @ Spurs Game 6 live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Friday morning (1am)
Friday 26 April 2019 01:15, UK
The Denver Nuggets are one win away from clinching a spot in the Western Conference semi-finals but the Spurs won't go quietly when they meet in San Antonio in Game 6.
Live NBA: Denver @ San Antonio
The second-seeded Nuggets head back to Texas after Tuesday night's dominant 108-90 win in Denver. They are on the cusp of their first postseason series victory since 2009, when they reached the Western Conference finals.
Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic said he expects Game 6 to be the "toughest game of our lives".
Denver snapped a 14-game, seven-year losing streak in San Antonio with a 117-103 victory in Game 4 on Saturday.
Jamal Murray paced Denver with 23 points, one of seven Nuggets in double figures. Jokic added 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and remained the hub of Denver's offense.
"What's remarkable about Nikola is he has that consistency," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "You expect greatness from him every night."
Denver's defense had a lot to say about the Game 5 win. In a 5:21 span of the first quarter, the Spurs managed only one field goal and missed seven consecutive shots. In the second quarter, San Antonio was held to another stretch of more than five minutes with just one made basket. After Denver began the third quarter on a 17-4 run, the Spurs were all but forced to concede.
"They just outplayed us in every facet," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We missed a lot at the rim early, or it could have been a much more competitive first half. We've got to have more guys playing well for sure."
LaMarcus Aldridge, a non-factor in the series despite leading San Antonio through the regular season, paced the Spurs in Game 5 with 17 points and 10 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, but made just 6-of-15 shots from the field.
"There's always somebody that steps up in the playoffs," Popovich said. "You look for people to step up who aren't your major players. Every winning team, there's someone who seems to do that."
The Spurs will be ready to fight for their playoff lives to force a deciding seventh game in Denver on Saturday.
Key battle: Nikola Jokic vs LaMarcus Aldridge
For all of his elite offensive skills, Jokic is seen as a sub-standard defender and Aldridge was expected to take full advantage in this series.
To Jokic's credit, he has stepped up on the defensive end, limiting Aldridge to 19.6 points per game on 44.8 per cent shooting, figures significantly lower than the Spurs forward's regular season marks (21.3 pointer per game on 51.9 per cent shooting).
On the offensive end, Jokic is putting up elite numbers, averaging 19.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game. Only three players - Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson (twice) and Russell Westbrook - have averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists throughout a postseason campaign.
Last time out
Numbers game
41.4 - That's the Nuggets' three-point postseason shooting percentage and, while five playoff games is a small sample size, it's the best of all 16 playoff teams.
That's surprising given Denver ranked 17th in three-point shooting accuracy (35.1 per cent) in the regular season.
The key to their three-point efficiency has been their low volume of long-range shots - they've taken the third fewest of the 16 playoff teams (29.0). While the three-point shot is an important part of their attack, the Nuggets' offense is not built on it. They are not a team who will live or die by the three.
One to watch (Nuggets): Torrey Craig
Before he was inserted into the starting line-up, Craig was providing physical defense and elite three-point shooting on the Nuggets' second unit.
Inserted into the starting five in Game 4, Craig's solid presence appears to have cured the Nuggets' early postseason wobbles. His five three-pointers on the road in Game 4 allowed Denver to restore parity in the series while his 10 rebounds in Game 5 illustrated his determination to contribute in the non-glamourous facets of the game.
One to watch (Spurs): Derrick White
White erupted for 36 points in the Spurs' Game 3 win but he has been quiet since, producing just 20 total points in Games 4 and 5.
"They are just being more physical and not letting me get to my spot, so I'll have to make an adjustment," White told the San Antonio Express News after Game 5.
How well he adjusts could determine whether the Spurs' season continues beyond Game 6.
