Nuggets game day: Denver faces NBA's "standard bearer" for final time

In Denver’s most recent meeting with the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 13, former Nugget Joffrey Lauvergne came off the bench and put forth a monster 26-point, 11-rebound effort. The Nuggets still managed to hang on, but Lauvergne’s big game, which came while San Antonio was without its two best players, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, made it close.

“Yeah, we developed him,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone joked. “He learned all that here.”

Lauvergne, a 6-foot-11 big man from France, averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in two seasons with Denver. His Feb. 13 outburst was another example of a Spurs player outperforming expectations. The Spurs are known for getting the most out of their players. It’s what’s allowed them to make the playoffs 20 years in a row.

“No matter who they bring in, guys kind of flourish in that system,” Malone said. “It’s not surprising. They’ve kind of been the standard bearer amongst the NBA in all areas both on and off the court.”

On Friday, Denver will face San Antonio (7 p.m., Altitude) for the fourth and final time this season. The Nuggets are seeking to split the season series. Aldridge, who sat out the Feb. 13 game after receiving treatment on his left knee, will be available to play. Rudy Gay, who hasn’t played since Dec. 28 because of a heel injury, will be active as well.

One player who won’t be able to go: Kawhi Leonard. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday he’d be “surprised” in Leonard plays at all again this season. Leonard has reportedly been cleared to return from the right quad tendinopathy injury, but he has “elected against returning to the active roster,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Even without Leonard, the Spurs present a tough challenge because, well, they’re the Spurs.

“If you don’t have a Kawhi Leonard or a LaMarcus Aldridge, you still have a lot of guys who’ve been in that system for a long time and won a lot of games,” Malone said. “Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green. Even Kyle Anderson, who is relatively young but has played a lot of games and meaningful games for those guys. It’s a tribute to their leadership, to their culture and their system.”

The Nuggets will get post-All-Star break reinforcements of their own. Mason Plumlee, who missed eight games with a right calf strain, is expected to play. The Nuggets are 6-2 in the games he’s missed, but their defense has cratered in his absence. Denver is surrendering 114.1 points per 100 possessions since Jan. 30.

“The defense has definitely taken a step in the wrong direction,” Malone said. “You can attribute that to losing a guy like (Paul) Millsap for the last 42 games and Mason for the last however many games it’s been. And even Torrey Craig. Those are three guys who are defensive players.”

Millsap practiced for the first time Wednesday since having wrist surgery in November, but he’s still two to four weeks from playing in games. Craig, a two-way player, is listed as out with a left hamstring injury.

Nuggets Projected Starters

Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Wilson Chandler, Nikola Jokic

Spurs Projected Starters

Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol