How to watch Spurs at Cavaliers

  • Date: Sunday, Feb. 25
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Quicken Loans Arena -- Cleveland, Ohio
  • TV: ABC
  • Streaming: WatchESPN
  • Follow: GameTracker  

SportsLine odds

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Analysis

For the first time all season, the San Antonio Spurs are showing signs of wavering. All along they've face injury problem after injury problem, but they managed to battle through all of the adversity and looked like the same old Spurs. Now, in the wake of Gregg Popovich's declaration that Kawhi Leonard may not return at all this season, the Spurs are starting to crack having lost four straight. 

While they still sit in fourth in the Western Conference, they're just four games ahead of the 10th-place Jazz. There are so many teams in between those spots that it's unlikely the Spurs fall all the way out of the playoffs, but they certainly haven't locked in a spot yet. Thus, Sunday afternoon's matchup will be crucial.

As for their opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat since revamping the roster. In the first few games with the new crew, the Cavs were flying around and everything looked awesome. It will be interesting to see how they respond to their first bit of adversity.

Similar to the Spurs, the Cavs will need to win as much as possible down the stretch to maintain their playoff seeding. Currently in third place in the East, they aren't in any danger of falling out of the playoffs, but they're just 2 1/2 games up on the seventh-seeded Sixers entering Sunday. A quick losing streak could see them tumble down the standings.