The San Antonio Spurs have 11 games left until the NBA All-Star break. They just retained control of eighth place on Wednesday night with a win over the New Orleans Hornets.
But holding onto eighth place will be even harder considering they’ve got their annual rodeo road trip starting, and trying to guess how they’ll fare on the annual trip is like trying to make a football prediction for the super-tight, upcoming Super Bowl.
But the Spurs have the Memphis Grizzlies nipping at their heels as they are just a half-game behind and the Grizzlies had started picking up some steam before their recent two-game losing streak.
The Spurs have four more home games before they hit the road. Their upcoming schedule includes a game today against the Phoenix Suns. They then have a back-to-back at home on Sunday against an Eastern Conference contender in the Toronto Raptors, before traveling to face the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
They then face the number two teem in the West at home as they take on the Utah Jazz and then play their last home game on February 1 as they host the Charlotte Hornets.
There’s a chance no Spurs will make it to the all-star game, and they’ll likely need the rest anyway after being put through the wringer.
Just as making an accurate soccer prediction is difficult without the help of some advanced analytics and metrics, it may be tough to predict how the road will treat the Spurs, especially as they open the road trip with a back-to-back in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers, followed by games against the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder twice and the Jazz yet again.
They’ll finally return home on February 26 having been through the most grueling part of their schedule. The shape they are in after that road schedule will tell a lot about what the team can realistically do for the rest of the season. If they can come together and get some key wins, they may be able to make a run at it and make their 23rd straight trip to the NBA playoffs.
If they are worse for the wear, there will be tons of competition for the last three spots in the West. Add to that that this is all with a little uncertainly considering the NBA trade deadline is coming soon and the team could be going through some serious change when they get back to the comfy confines of the AT&T Center late next month.
