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San Antonio Spurs: Win keeps things steady in the West … for now

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CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 25: Kyle Anderson #1, Patty Mills #8 and LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrate during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on February 25, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Spurs defeated the Cavaliers 110-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 25: Kyle Anderson #1, Patty Mills #8 and LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrate during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on February 25, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Spurs defeated the Cavaliers 110-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The San Antonio Spurs managed to end a four-game losing streak and hold their ground in the Western Conference, for now.

The Western Conference seems the tightest it has been this season, with the No. 3 and No. 8 seeds separated by just 2.5 games; that’s as of Sunday night, with the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. This brought them to 36-25 and still in third place.

The margin for error remains small for San Antonio, who still has 21 games to secure a playoff spot that’s no longer guaranteed. With a brutal schedule the rest of the way, it will take health and some of the team’s best performances this season to get that seed in mid-April.

What does not help this? The fact five of the eight top seeds in the West are on multi-game winning streaks. That includes the No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers, the No. 6 Denver Nuggets and the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans, and that’s without the Oklahoma City Thunder, who moved to No. 8 after a loss to the Golden State Warriors. If the Thunder get hot and the Utah Jazz continue their torrid pace, it only makes the Silver and Black’s road more difficult.

Without seed movement from the Spurs, it lines them up to face the Denver Nuggets, a team they lost back-to-back games to. It’s also the squad that features rising center, Nikola Jokic, and his All-Star-caliber play that’s given San Antonio issues this season (a triple-double performance on Friday). There’s so much fluctuation that Denver can easily flip with the Pelicans and become the first-round opponent, however.

Next: Top 25 players in Spurs history

The playoff situation for the Spurs will change over the next six weeks, with marquee games, season-changing injuries (and returns) and more to happen. Will it go in the team from the Alamo City’s favor?

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