Poll: Which Team Will Win Nuggets/Spurs Series?

While the second round of the NBA postseason are on track to feature a handful of fascinating and entertaining series, the first round has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

The Celtics and Bucks have already advanced to the Conference Finals, sweeping their respective opponents. The Raptors, Sixers, Warriors, and Rockets hold 3-1 leads and are overwhelming favorites to join Boston and Milwaukee in the second round. The Thunder, down 3-1 to the Trail Blazers, have the talent to make a comeback, but face a significant uphill climb, with Game 5 and a potential Game 7 taking place in Portland.

Barring a surprise turn in any of those other series, that leaves us with just one matchup that’s still very much up for grabs — the No. 2 Nuggets against the No. 7 Spurs. With the series tied up at 2-2, Game 5 is schedule to tip off in Denver tonight, and if the first four games are any indication, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect.

Will we see the Jamal Murray who has averaged 24.0 PPG on 51.6% shooting in the Nuggets’ two wins? Or will it be the Murray who managed just 23 total points on 34.5% shooting in Denver’s two losses?

How about Derrick White? The young Spurs guard looked like the best player on the court in Game 3, pouring in 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting. In Game 4, he scored just eight points and was a team-worst minus-19.

After Will Barton struggled mightily in the first three games of the series, the Nuggets pulled him from the starting lineup, inserting Torrey Craig in his place. The move worked well for both players in Game 4, with Craig scoring 18 points and making 5-of-7 three-pointers, while Barton had 12 points and was 3-of-3 from the outside. Will that adjustment continue to key Denver’s success going forward?

And how much of a factor will home-court advantage be for the rest of the series? The two teams have split their home games so far, but during the regular season, no Western Conference clubs were better at home than the Nuggets (34-7) or Spurs (32-9). Conversely, they were also the only two Western playoff teams with losing records on the road — 20-21 for Denver and a dismal 16-25 for San Antonio. Those numbers certainly favor the Nuggets, who will host Game 5 and a possible Game 7.

What do you think? Are the Nuggets on track to win this series and advance to the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2009? Or will Gregg Popovich‘s Spurs win out and become the lowest-seeded playoff team to win a series since the No. 8 Sixers in 2012?

Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in!

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