The San Antonio Spurs are looking to close out the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, and so far, their postseason run has gone better than anyone could have expected.
The San Antonio Spurs are up 3-1 in their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, with a chance to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night.
The Spurs have been led by Victor Wembanyama when he's healthy, and Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox, Carter Bryant, Luke Kornet, and Devin Vassell have all played massive roles on both sides of the ball. When the Spurs are humming, they look like the best team in the NBA, and it's hard not to look ahead to the next round, even before this one is over.
While the Spurs haven't yet clinched their first series win since 2017, the path is clear. Elsewhere in the West, the Spurs seem to be making up for a critical mistake from the regular season.
Wolves vs. Nuggets Is Going Great for Spurs
In the final game of the regular season, the Spurs lost to the Denver Nuggets. Had the Spurs won, Denver would have fallen to the fourth seed in the West, and the Spurs would have played either the Houston Rockets or Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.
The Lakers, even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, are up 3-1 over Houston and look better than advertised. LeBron James has turned back the clock, and suddenly, the Spurs look smart for ducking LA. In the second round, the Spurs will play either Denver or the Minnesota Timberwolves. Right now, the Wolves are up, 3-2 in that series.
In the regular season, the Spurs went 1-2 against Minnesota and 1-3 against Denver, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. However, Wembanyama only played once against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, and Anthony Edwards is expected to miss the second-round series if the Wolves can close things out.
Here at SpursRoundtable, we don't root for injuries, although a shorthanded Wolves team doesn't seem like a worthy opponent for the Spurs.
Denver, meanwhile, is healthy, although Jaden McDaniels exposed Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon for their poor defense. A downhill attack of Fox, Castle, and Harper should be able to make short work of an exhausted Denver team, even if Jokic plays at an MVP level.
Of course, Edwards could make an early return, but no matter who they play, the Spurs should be better-rested, better-prepared, and healthier. As 12.5-point favorites in Game 5 against Portland, expect the Spurs to be conservative with their stars, especially if they jump out to an early lead.
No matter who San Antonio meets in the second round, the Spurs will hold home-court advantage.