Under normal circumstances, a matchup between the first and last-place teams in a conference wouldn’t be a game that moves the needle. But that’s not the case Friday night when the Denver Nuggets travel to Frost Bank Center to face the San Antonio Spurs.
The intrigue here is the MVP frontrunner, Nikola Jokic taking on ROY frontrunner, Victor Wembanyama. The current best player alive going head-to-head with a player that most people have already penciled in as the future of the league.
This will be the second career meeting between the international superstar big men. The first meeting, way back in November did not disappoint as Jokic was dominant, putting up 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Wemby tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds to go along with 6 steals and 4 blocks. Denver won the game comfortably.
But that was a long time ago and Wemby has already become a totally different player. Not only has he made great strides across the board, but he has also become the starting center for the Spurs, as opposed to playing Power Forward next to Zach Collins earlier this season - including the first matchup with Jokic.
We’ll see how much the two centers are actually matched up against each other, but I’m expecting a fun - if even lopsided - game. That is if Wemby is playing. Victor has missed several games recently with an ankle injury.
Spurs injury report
NBA fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Wembanyama is off the injury report and should be a full go for Friday night. The only Spurs on the report are Cedi Osman, who is ‘Out’ with an ankle injury, and Charles Bassey who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Nuggets injury report
The report is even cleaner for the Nuggets as the only player listed is Vlatko Cancar who is ‘Out’ yet again with a knee injury. It looks like we will get treated to the battle we deserve, with two of the brightest stars in basketball facing off. Get your popcorn ready.
Betting odds
The first-place Nuggets are currently favored by 9.5 points while the total sits at 224.5 points.