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SPURS GAMEDAY: Defending champs present major challenge for surging Silver and Black

Warriors All-NBA forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, will return to the lineup against the Spurs on Monday.

Golden State Warriors (47-21) vs. Spurs (41-29)

When, where: Monday 7 p.m., AT&T Center

Last season: Warriors won series 3-1

All-time series record: Spurs lead 108-61

Season series: Tied 1-1 

Last meeting: Warriors 141, Spurs 102, Feb. 6, Oakland, Calif. 

Warriors' last game: Beat Thunder 110-88, Saturday, Oklahoma City

Spurs' last game: Beat Portland Trail Blazers 108-103, Saturday, AT&T Center

Warriors' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, won two

Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 8-2, won eight

Warriors' injury/inactive report: Center DeMarcus Cousins (right foot soreness), out; forward Andre Iguodala (tooth extraction), out; center Damian Jones (left pectoral surgery), out.

Spurs' injury/inactive report: Forward Ben Moore (G League assignment), out; point guard Dejounte Murray (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), out.

Notable: Golden State All-NBA forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the team's last two games with a sprained right ankle, will return against the Silver and Black on Monday night . . . The Spurs are sixth in the Western Conference standings, trailing current No. 5 seed Oklahoma City (42-28) by one game and leading No. 7 Utah (49-29) by a half-game  . . . If the postseason started Saturday, the Silver and Black would play No. 3 seed Houston in the first round . . . San Antonio has 12 games left in the regular season, six at home and six on the road . . . The Spurs end a four-game home stand Wednesday night against the Miami Heat . . . . The Spurs are the only NBA team with an all-time winning record against every team in the league . . . San Antonio's run of eight consecutive victories is the longest active win streak in the NBA and the Spurs' longest of the season . . . The Silver and Black are also 12 games above .500 for the first time this season. 

GAME PREVIEW

SAN ANTONIO – Their eighth consecutive victory in the books, the Spurs are racing to the end of the regular season with a quiet confidence tempered by the tough lessons they’ve learned since the opening tipoff five months ago.

The Silver and Black have raised their game substantially since going 1-7 on their annual Rodeo Road Trip last month, and nowhere has the improvement been more noticeable than on defense.

Maligned by coach Gregg Popovich for their defensive inconsistency throughout most of the season, the Spurs finally are putting together enough stops to give themselves a chance to win when their offense isn’t clicking.

“I think it’s more of a focus and them understanding that when we play good defense, we’re a darn good team,” Popovich said, when he was asked if the improvement on defense can be attributed to the players getting more comfortable with the system.

Whatever the reason, the Silver and Black have risen to the top of the NBA in scoring defense since returning from their rodeo trip, yielding 99.8 points per 100 possessions during their win streak.

“I think our team defense is 10 times better than where it was,” guard Bryn Forbes after the Spurs’ 108-103 victory over Portland on Saturday.

The Spurs’ defense will receive an acid test Monday night when the prolific Golden State Warriors, the league’s defending champion and winner of three of the last four titles, come calling at the AT&T Center.

Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano (bit.ly/XR79FT) / Special to KENS5.com
Spurs forward Rudy Gay, going in for a rim-rattling dunk in a 104-92 home win over the Warriors on Nov. 18, finished the game with 19 points.

“They’re the best team in the West,” center Jakob Poeltl said Saturday after the Spurs’ 108-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. “Just got to bring it all again on Monday. Another team with a lot of firepower, a lot of guys that shoot a lot of threes. We’ve got to do the same good job on defense again.”

Poeltl’s improved defensive play has mirrored the Silver and Black’s steady progress on that end of the court. He had a career-tying five blocks for the second night in a row in Saturday’s 108-103 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Man, he plays hard,” Forbes said of Poeltl. “I think he’s one of the hardest playing bigs I’ve ever seen., whether it’s screens, rebounds.”

The Spurs (41-29) have beaten five teams during their eight-game win streak that would be in the playoffs if they began Monday. San Antonio has won 10 in a row at home, and is 12 games above .500 for the first time this season.

The Warriors (47-21) lead the Western Conference and own the third-best record in the league. Golden State became the first team in the West to clinch a playoff berth when it beat the Thunder 110-88 Saturday in Oklahoma City. The Warriors won without All-NBA forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the team’s last two games with a sprained right ankle.

Durant was initially listed as questionable for Monday’s game, but Golden State coach Steve Kerr said Monday the 10-time All-Star will play against the Spurs, according to NBA.com. Newly acquired center Andrew Bogut also will play, Kerr said.

But center DeMarcus Cousins (right foot soreness) and guard/forward Andre Iguodala (tooth extraction) are both out for Monday's game.

Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano (bit.ly/XR79FT) / Special to KENS5.com
LaMarcus Aldridge recorded a double-double in the Spurs' 104-92 home win over the Warriors on Nov. 18, finishing with 24 points and 18 rebounds.

“We want to protect home court,” starting point guard Derrick White said. “We’re going to have to come ready to play.”

Monday night’s game will be the last regular-season meeting between the Warriors and Spurs. The season series is tied 1-1, with each team winning at home. San Antonio won the first meeting 104-92 on Nov. 18, when Golden State played without injured starters Stephen Curry and Dramond Green.

The Warriors rolled to a 141-102 rout of the Spurs in their second meeting of the season Feb. 6. The Silver and Black played without leading scorers DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, who were given the night off to rest by Popovich.

“Man, I think it’s a good thing,” Forbes said about the Spurs putting their eight-game win streak on the line against Golden State. “That’s what we want to do. We want to play against the guys that won, at No. 1 in the West.

"I think we’re a lot more prepared than times in the past . . . They’re a very talented group. Just trying to keep up with those guys is a challenge.”

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