A 3-11 skid from Feb. 1 through March 12 pushed the Spurs to the edge of the Western Conference playoff picture and had many NBA observers prognosticating that San Antonio would miss the postseason for the first time since 1997, but Gregg Popovich’s men are not going away quietly.

Led by a 39-point, 10-rebound, two-block performance from LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs rolled to a 117-101 win at home over the Timberwolves on Saturday for their third straight victory.

San Antonio seized control of the game with a 38-point second quarter and took a 61-50 lead into the break. Minnesota narrowed the lead to six on a few occasions in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs stepped back on the gas midway through the final stanza to put the game away.

The Spurs’ potential to be a factor in the postseason probably comes down to Kawhi Leonard, who has played in just nine games this season and whose absence remains something of a mystery. Should Leonard get back on the floor over these next few weeks, it’s not hard to envision San Antonio emerging as a threat.

Let’s put it this way: The Spurs with Leonard would not rank high on the Warriors’ or Rockets’ lists of preferred opponents.
Speaking of the Warriors, they’re next up for the Spurs, as the rivals meet Monday night in San Antonio.

Studs of the night

In addition to Aldridge, several NBA stars shined brightly Saturday night. Among them:

LeBron James recorded his 15th triple-double of the season and 70th of his career with 33 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the Cavaliers’ 114-109 win at the Bulls.

James Harden went for 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Rockets’ 107-101 win at the Pelicans.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks beat the Hawks 122-117 in Milwaukee.

Dud of the night

It took Derrick Rose just 15 minutes to rack up an unsightly plus-minus ratio of -21 in his third game for Minnesota.
He's been a minus 20 for the last 5 years. https://t.co/7WPgIHlzaQ
— Haralabos Voulgaris ⚡️ (@haralabob) March 18, 2018

Highlights
Here are a few clips of LeBron showcasing two of the things we enjoy most about him – passing and defense.
Eyes in the back of his ��#AllForOne pic.twitter.com/pWWiqOgG0g
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2018
LeBron puts cherry on top of his triple-double with big block!@cavs grab the W 114-109 #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/PsyPYYp4LE
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2018
Check out Joe Ingles’ long-range alley-oop for a Donovan Mitchell finish.
Decided he wasn't satisfied, so he added a big oop. pic.twitter.com/y7cYxtmioW
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2018

What’s next
Sunday features a light slate of NBA games, as the league continues to compete for eyeballs with the NCAA Tournament this week, but all four matchups feature teams with winning records: Thunder (42-29) at Raptors (52-17), Celtics (47-22) at Pelicans (39-30), Rockets (55-14) at Timberwolves (40-30) and Trail Blazers (43-26) and Clippers (37-31). Portland, after beating the Pistons 100-87 Saturday, looks to extend its win streak to 13, while Toronto tries to win its 12th in row