Reserve Patty Mills had 16 points for the Spurs, who scored a season-high in points. This is their longest regular season win streak since reeling off 17 in a row from Feb. 29 to March 31, 1996.
San Antonio also maintained a three-game lead for the top seed in the Western Conference. It’s a quick turnaround for the Spurs, who host New Orleans on Saturday.
Randy Foye scored 20 for a banged-up Nuggets squad that lost for the fourth time in five games. Wilson Chandler was out with a strained groin, while Timofey Mozgov and Kenneth Faried were hampered by an illness. Faried still finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Belinelli stepped into the starting lineup with Danny Green hobbled by an inflamed right foot and quickly found his rhythm. Belinelli scored 14 in the first quarter. He finished 10-of-15 from the field.
Coach Gregg Popovich insisted before the game that he’s not going to overextend his players to secure the No. 1 seed in the West. His goal is to keep them “as healthy and energetic as possible at this time of year.”
Popovich didn’t have to worry about taxing his team too much in this one, building a 25-point lead midway through the third quarter and resting most of his starters for the majority of the fourth.
Even in the lopsided win, Popovich found a teaching moment late in the third. His team relaxed on one possession and allowed an easy transition basket by Foye. Popovich quickly called timeout and voiced his displeasure to his team.
Popovich isn’t exactly the biggest fan of long winning streaks saying, “Maybe this comes too easy. Losing is not a bad thing at this point of the year.”
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