The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Denver Nuggets at AT&T Center on Saturday.

The Nuggets (12-13) come into this matchup losing nine of their last 12 games. It's easy to see why they're struggling so mightily, missing guys like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Those are two of the three best players on this team, and it's downright crippling this roster right now. What makes it even more discouraging is that Nikola Jokic is in the midst of another MVP season, recording triple-doubles in each of the last two games. We all know the big man has broad shoulders to carry this team on, but it's looking like too big of a load at this point. That has many people believing Denver is in the market as a trade destination, with guys like Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons looking like perfect fits.

The Spurs (9-15) record isn't pretty, but they're much better than it would indicate. In fact, they enter this matchup winning five of their last seven games, overcoming one of the worst early-season schedules out there. This is usually a team that thrives on its veteran leadership, but this is a young, new core in San Antonio. Dejounte Murray is flirting with triple-double averages while Jakob Poelel holds down the paint every night. Both of those guys have taken massive leaps forward this season, and it has them looking like a dangerous team for the second half of the season. Derrick White has also been turning his season around, and that only adds to the intrigue of this team.

San Antonio beat Denver on Thursday, 123-111. That was actually a wire-to-wire win for the Spurs, snapping a stretch in which Denver won six of their previous seven games over San Antonio.