Gay - the team’s third-leading scorer during the regular season - is not the only member of the Spurs’ bench struggling in the series. “Sometimes a little adversity can bring out the best in you the next go-round,” DeMar DeRozan said. It is an out-of-character silence for Gay, who has typically been one of the more accessible and thoughtful members of the Spurs locker room since his arrival in July 2017.Īs the seventh-seeded Spurs head into Game 5 on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center, they are counting on Gay to show up, if not speaking loudly, then at least carrying a big stick. He did not meet with the media after Game 4 on Saturday, and remained mum after Monday’s practice in San Antonio. Gay, apparently, is doing his introspection in solitude. The Spurs have enjoyed leads after the first quarter in every game this series. The three players who did it before him are Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson (twice) and Russell Westbrook.
Jokic is poised to become only the fourth player in NBA history to average 20-plus points, 11-plus rebounds and nine-plus assists in the playoffs. The Spurs are the 12th seventh seed in NBA history to win at least two of the first four games against a No. Nuggets: Points, Jokic, 20.5 per game rebounds, Jokic, 11.8 assists, Jokic, 9.3 steals, Murray, 2.0 blocks, Barton, 0.8 Spurs: Points, DeRozan, 23.3 per game rebounds, Aldridge, 9.0 assists, DeRozan, 4.5 steals, DeRozan, 1.3 blocks, Poeltl, 1.0. Nuggets: Will Barton (6-6, 7th), G Malik Beasley (6-5, 3rd year), G Brandon Goodwin (6-2, 1st), F Juancho Hernangomez (6-9, 3rd), F Tyler Lydon (6-10, 2nd), F Trey Lyles (6-10, 4th), G Monte Morris (6-3, 2nd), C/F Mason Plumlee (6-11, 6th), G Isaiah Thomas (5-9, 8th), F Jarred Vanderbilt (6-9, 1st). Inactive: Dejounte Murray (knee), Chimezie Metu. Spurs: G Patty Mills (6-0, 10th year), F Rudy Gay (6-8, 13th), F Davis Bertans (6-10, 3rd), F Dante Cunningham (6-8, 10th), G Marco Belinelli (6-5, 12th), G/F Quincy Pondexter (6-7, 7th), G Lonnie Walker IV (6-5, 1st), C/F Donatas Motiejunas (7-0, 6th). Nuggets: PG Jamal Murray (6-4, 3rd), SG Gary Harris (6-4, 5th), SF Torrey Craig (6-6, 2nd), PF Paul Millsap (6-8, 13th), C Nikola Jokic (7-0, 4th). Spurs: PG Derrick White (6-4, 2nd year), SG Bryn Forbes (6-3, 3rd), SF DeMar DeRozan (6-7, 10th), PF LaMarcus Aldridge (6-11, 13th), C Jakob Poeltl (7-0, 3rd). TV/radio: FSSW, NBA-TV/WOAI-AM 1200, KMYO-FM 95.1 (Spanish)