Making a statement against the surging Denver Nuggets could’ve pushed the San Antonio Spurs one leap closer to the second round of the 2019 Playoffs, but instead they were on the receiving end of an 18-point rout. Across the board, San Antonio came out flat with stagnant ball movement and a blatant lack of energy.
You can point to late-season fatigue or Denver’s altitude as issues plaguing the Spurs, but a distinctive lack of intensity was the clear reason for their downfall. As Gregg Popovich works to rally his troops on the brink of First Round elimination for the second season in a row, San Antonio must learn from their mistakes in Game 5.