Spurs, Bucks Get Close Wins

The San Antonio Spurs overcame an early deficit against the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder to defeat them on the road 99-96. The Thunder built a 14-point-lead in the first half, but saw it go away in the third quarter, en route to their second straight defeat. Also, the Milwaukee Bucks continued their strong play with a home win against the Atlanta Hawks. John Salmons scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to put the Bucks over the top.

The Spurs and the Bucks have been hot as of late, with both involving unique circumstances. The Spurs have won 10 of their past 13 games, with all of them coming without Tony Parker. The Spurs have a rough schedule this week, with a road loss to the Hawks in the books already. They face the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, and the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

The Bucks have only lost two games since trading for John Salmons on February 18. They are now in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs were to start today, they would face off with the Hawks in the first round. The Bucks, with the excellent play from Salmons, the emergence of Andrew Bogut, and the play of rookie Brandon Jennings, have the Bucks looking like minor contenders in the East.

The Spurs and the Bucks can be sleepers come playoff time. The Spurs certainly have the championship experience on their roster, and the Bucks have shown they can compete with the likes of the Hawks and Celtics. The Spurs climbed to sixth place in the standings with the win, which could mean a matchup with the struggling Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks once looked like a team to contend with the Lakers, but they've looked bad since their home embarrassement against the New York Knicks. That could be a perfect matchup for the Spurs.

The Bucks have not necessarily shown the ability to compete with the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers with Lebron James. Until they can prove that, they'll only get as far as the second round at the very most.