The Spurs are set to host the Nuggets tonight without Victor Wembanyama available on the roster, as the French star was scratched at the last minute for this game due to right ankle soreness.
Wembanyama was initially listed as questionable but has now been downgraded to out in the final hour before the game. This becomes his 15th missed game of the season, leaving him with only three games left that he can miss if he wants to remain eligible for any postseason awards (exception of 18 missed games allowed due to playing the NBA Cup Final).
Mitch Johnson revealed before the game that it was a 50-50 chance that Wembanyama would play this game, and subsequently, the staff has decided to sideline him for tonight.
The French star has averaged 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.0 % from beyond the three-point line. His absence could be detrimental to keeping the winning streak alive for the Spurs tonight as they look to extend it to six games.
Wembanyama will be the only player not available against the Nuggets for the Spurs, as the rest of the roster is fully healthy. The Nuggets, however, will also be shorthanded tonight.
Denver announced that Aaron Gordon will not be available for this matchup. Gordon is recovering from a right hamstring injury, and thus, for the management of that, he will not be playing against the Spurs. He will join Peyton Watson on the sidelines.
The Nuggets’ athletic star has so far averaged 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season, while shooting 49.2% from the field and 38.6% from beyond the arc.
This is only the second meeting between the two sides this season, with the Spurs coming away with a 139-136 win in their first matchup on November 25.
Both sides will face each other two more times near the end of the season in April (The Nuggets will host on April 4 and the Spurs will host on April 12 in the final game of the regular season).
The Nuggets are currently 40-26 after last night’s blowout win against the Rockets. If they beat the Spurs tonight, they could move up to third in the Western Conference, especially if the Lakers lose to the Bulls tonight.
The Spurs (48-17) are currently 2.5 games behind the Thunder (51-15) and will look to continue their upsurging form even without Victor Wembanyama on the floor tonight.
They have played 14 games this season without their French starlet and came away 10-4 in those games. Therefore, they have the potential to beat the former MVP Nikola Jokic’s team without their star player tonight. It will be interesting to see if the Nuggets can break the Spurs’ five-game winning streak tonight.
