Eliminated from the In Season Tournament, the Spurs get a schedule update
San Antonio gets two games added to their schedule for the first week of December.
The San Antonio Spurs were technically eliminated from the In Season Tournament after their loss to the Kings on November 17th, but as group play wrapped up on Tuesday, they were officially out of knockout round contention. Because the In Season Tournament counts towards each NBA team’s regular season record, the league had to implement some makeup games for those who did not make it to the knockout rounds.
Wednesday morning, the league announced that the Spurs will play at Minnesota for a bout with the Timberwolves on Wednesday, December 6th, and will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday, December 8th. The matchup with the T-Wolves will be televised on ESPN.
Fans will recall a tight matchup with the Timberwolves in their last contest, falling 117-110. The Wolves are one of the best teams in the NBA right now, despite not qualifying for the knockout rounds, starting their season 13-4. They have an elite defense that should create some challenges for a Spurs offense that has been sputtering as of late.
The Chicago Bulls have struggled, with rumors of the team blowing up their roster circulating the league. They have been a disappointment in the East, going 5-14 to start the season. The matchup will reunite DeMar DeRozan with the San Antonio crowd. It also will give the Spurs a chance to take a game at home against a struggling opponent.
The Spurs went 0-4 in their group play games and had a point differential of -58. The Sacramento Kings finished with a 4-0 record, winning the group outright. They will join the Pelicans, Lakers and Suns on the Western Conference side of the bracket. The Bucks, Knicks, Pacers and Celtics make up the Eastern Conference bracket.
