While some might have thought that the Nuggets' Conference Finals appearance in 2008-09 was a fluke, Carmello Anthony and company showed that they can rightfully be considered a legitimate championship contender in this year's NBA campaign. Trying to clinch the second playoff seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets will host Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 1 a.m. GMT.

Unlike Denver, the Spurs were unable to live up to their contender role as they are just holding on to the seventh place in the Western Conference, posting a 48-29 record. That said, San Antonio trails the second placed Utah Jazz by just two games and could very well put themselves in a better position down the stretch, provided they keep up their level of play. Moreover, Tony Parker has finally returned from a lengthy injury and can be expected to give Greg Popovich's squad a lift in the remaining week of action and the subsequent post-season. Albeit slightly past his prime, All-Star Tim Duncan is still playing excellent basketball and leads the franchise with no less than 18.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per contest.

The Nuggets on the other hand have not been playing particularly well as of late and won just five of their last ten games. Nonetheless, Denver is still in an excellent position for the remainder of the regular season and might be able to defend their Northwest Division title. Although the team around Chauncey Billups experienced plenty of defensive breakdowns, their high-octane offense easily compensated said shortcomings as the Denver Nuggets average nearly 107 points per game. Continuing to elevate his level of play is franchise cornerstone Carmello Anthony who put up 28.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. Therefore, it appears to be a justified assumption that both teams should be on a fairly level playing field when the game gets underway on Sunday night. Albeit the Spurs are an excellent defensive team, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to contain Denver's dynamic offense around J.R. Smith and Carmello Anthony.

You can watch all games of the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.

Posted: 12th Feb 2010

Albeit most experts around the league thought the Spurs would inevitably be a championship contender in this year’s NBA campaign, the franchise from Texas struggled to live up to their role so far. Trying to get their act together, Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs will try to steal one on the road when they meet the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on Friday at 3:30 a.m. GMT.

Continuing their upswing under the guidance of veteran point guard Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets find themselves at the top of the Western Conference, trailing the L.A. Lakers by just 4.5 games. Besides Billups, Carmello Anthony is having another terrific year and rightfully earned his spot in the All-Star game after averaging no less than 29.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Likewise, rookie guard Ty Lawson and forward Arron Afflalo significantly helped the franchise from Colorado as they put up 9.0 and 9.5 points per game respectively.

The Spurs on the other hand did not get off to the start they were hoping for and are just sixth in the Western Conference, posting a 29-20 record. That said, the team around All-Star forward Tim Duncan could still become a tough opponent to beat down the stretch, provided they start playing up to their full potential come playoff time. Most importantly, Greg Popovich’s squad will have to perform more consistently night in and night out, especially on the road where they won just 10 out of 20. Taking said circumstances into account, the Nuggets might have a slight advantage over the Spurs on Friday night, but will most likely have to bring their A-game to defeat the team around Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Either way, the audience can expect a hard-nosed battle between two of the better teams in the Western Conference when the game gets underway in Denver.  

You can watch all games of the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.