No place like S.A.
Nine-game homestand, longest in team history, begins.
The Spurs begin a nine-game homestand — the longest in franchise history — on Monday night against a Charlotte Hornets team reeling from a series of drubbings.
After going 3-2 on a five-game swing through the Eastern Conference that ended with Saturday night’s 120-113 loss at Milwaukee, the Spurs are 22-17, good enough for seventh place in the West entering play Sunday.
Ten teams in each conference advance to the postseason after the pandemic-shortened 72game regular season ends, with teams seeded seventh through 10th participating in a “play-in” tournament to gain a spot in the conference playoffs.
“We’re trying to win every game whether it’s home or away,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. “Every game counts in order to put us in the best position to be in a great spot in the playoffs.”
The Spurs will face seven teams during the homestand, with baseball-style two-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings. The homestand also includes two back-to-backs, including Wednesday and Thursday against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
The Spurs have already defeated five of those seven opponents this season. They will be facing the Kings and the Indiana Pacers for the first time this season.
The Hornets, who entered play Sunday seventh in the Eastern Conference at 20-21, are winless on their five-game road trip after dropping three in a row for the first time since Jan. 22.
The trip so far includes a 25-point loss to Denver, an 11point setback against the Los Angeles Lakers and a 27-point embarrassment against the Clippers on Saturday night for their
worst defeat of the season for the second time in three games.
“It’s not been our finest basketball these last three games,” Hornets forward Gordon Hayward said. “We can be a lot better, that’s for sure. We’ve got to try to pick ourselves up here, stay together, stay positive. It’s a season of ups and downs, and we’ve been through it already, so there’s no reason to hang our heads. We’ve played three really good teams, and it doesn’t get any easier.”
In their first meeting this season, the Spurs defeated the Hornets 122-110 on Feb. 14.
Charlotte is expected to be without starting center Cody Zeller, who did not play against the Clippers due to left shoulder bursitis. He played just 11 minutes
in Thursday’s game against the Lakers after not exceeding 19 minutes in either of the previous two games. Bismack Biyombo is starting in place of Zeller.
Rookie point guard Lamelo Ball (right wrist) got banged up against the Clippers but is probable for Monday night.
Popovich poised to join 1,300 club
The Spurs’ Gregg Popovich is one win away from joining Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens as the only coaches in NBA history with 1,300 victories.
Nelson has 1,335 and Wilkens owns 1,332.
Monday’s game will mark the second game in a row in which
Popovich has faced one of his former assistants.
Saturday it was Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer. This time around it’s James Borrego.
Budenholzer was asked before the game what stood out most about Popovich during his almost 20 years as an assistant.
“He never gives long speeches,” Budenholzer said.
When his response drew laughter from reporters, Budenholzer quickly added, “I’m actually serious. There are many, many things that are learned and said and stated while you are there, and I am going to go with (Popovich’s belief that) less is more.”