It’s a scenario as predictable as a sunrise. As the NBA season begins to wind toward its conclusion, and the Spurs have an acceptable playoff seeding all but locked up, Gregg Popovich will begin to rest key players for the grind to come.
That process appears to have begun in earnest on Sunday, when LaMarcus Aldridge, Danny Green, Patty Mills, Manu Ginobili and David Lee were all issued DNPs in a matinee victory over Utah.
Star forward Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, has informed the coaching staff he would prefer to play in each of the Spurs’ remaining six contests.