The San Antonio Spurs have now won three straight games and have managed to cling to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, something guard Patty Mills attributed to the proverbial flip of the switch.
Following a nail-biting 104-103 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Spurs improved to 36-29 and are now three games clear of the trailing Sacramento Kings and a half-game away from the LA Clippers:
“It almost seems like we've just been able to flip a switch, which isn't the easiest thing to do, but we have in the last three games,” said Mills, according to The Associated Press. “It's been our defense that has won it for us.”
The Spurs managed to ward off a late fourth-quarter rally by the second-place Denver Nuggets, managing to do just enough defensively to walk away with a tough home win:
“You've got to give them their respect, they hit some really tough shots,” forward Rudy Gay said. “Jokic found his shooters and they hit some really tough shots (and) most were contested.”
The urgency is surely felt for all involved, as many have already penned down the Spurs as a playoff team, even after losing their best player in Kawhi Leonard, as well as Manu Ginobili to retirement and Tony Parker to the Charlotte Hornets:
“We've got to have it to get to the playoffs,” said Spurs point guard Derrick White, who had 11 points and a career-high nine assists. “That was more important than future matchups.”
The Spurs also dealt with the loss of would-be starter Dejounte Murray in the preseason, but these unforeseen changes haven't stopped Gregg Popovich or his team from getting in line for a 22nd straight playoff appearance, which would extend the longest active streak in the league.
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