Minnesota @ San Antonio preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 15, 2017 ) San Antonio 86, Minnesota 98

The battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference figures to come down to the final weeks of the regular season, and both the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in the mix. The Spurs will be trying to hang onto a spot and earn a win at the expense of one of the teams in front of them in the standings when they host the Timberwolves on Saturday.

Minnesota is holding onto the No. 5 spot entering play on Friday, a half-game behind the fourth-place Oklahoma City Thunder but just two games clear of the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets tied at No. 9. "We watch every night," Timberwolves veteran forward Taj Gibson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune of the race. "You try to go hard to win your game and then watch the scores around. You're either like, 'Yes!' or 'Oh, man, c'mon.' But you can't depend on any other team to help you win. You go out there and do the best you can with the schedule you've got." While Minnesota is trying to reach the postseason for the first time since 2004, San Antonio has not missed since the 1996-97 campaign and had to win its last two games to jump back into the top eight. "In the Western Conference, it's tough," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after a 98-93 win over New Orleans on Thursday. "There's a lot of good teams, and there's 10 or 11 of us trying to get eight spots. ... Each game down the stretch, everybody will be playing like we did tonight."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS North (Minnesota), FS Southwest (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (40-29): Minnesota is feeling good about itself after back-to-back wins over Golden State and Washington, and at least one player is trying to keep the focus just on the next game. "To be honest, for us it is better just to prepare for every game," forward Nemanja Bjelica told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We have to because the West teams are so close. It's too much to think about who's going to beat who. We just have to take care of ourselves and we're in a good way." Bjelica overcame a tough start to score 17 points in Tuesday's 116-111 win over the Wizards and is averaging 17.3 points over the last four contests.

ABOUT THE SPURS (39-30): Thursday's win was the first for San Antonio over a West playoff contender since knocking off Denver 106-104 on Jan. 30, and the schedule won't let up the rest of the way. "Everyone that we play from now on, probably except for one or two teams, is in playoff contention and is fighting for a spot," center Pau Gasol told reporters. "It's going to be like a playoff game pretty much every other night or every game. So, we just have to go out there and earn it." San Antonio will not face a team with a current losing record until visiting the Los Angeles Lakers on April 4.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 34 points and 13 rebounds over the last two games.

2. San Antonio SF Kawhi Leonard (quad) reportedly has yet to start practicing with the team and is doubtful for Saturday.

3. Minnesota snapped a 12-game losing streak in the series with a 98-86 home win on Nov. 15.

PREDICTION: Spurs 103, Timberwolves 101