It may seem like a foregone conclusion each year for the San Antonio Spurs, but in the Western Conference this season, just making the playoffs is an accomplishment.
The defending NBA champions, winners of eight straight, will have a chance to clinch their 11th straight postseason berth Friday when they visit the Utah Jazz, the NBA's best home team.
Since drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, the Spurs have qualified for the playoffs every season, winning four NBA titles in that span.
Despite playing in a conference that features nine teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better, another trip to the playoffs was never truly in doubt this season, and the recent spurt has San Antonio challenging for the top seed in the West.
The Spurs (52-23) trail first-place New Orleans by just a half-game, and need only one more win to clinch a spot in the postseason.
"Games mean a lot these days," Duncan said. "Obviously everyone's record is really close and everyone is playing for positioning. Every game down the stretch means a lot and has that playoff intensity."
San Antonio is coming off back-to-back blowout wins over playoff contenders, beating Houston and Golden State this week by at least 21 points each. They ended the Warriors' 37-game streak of scoring at least 100 points with a 116-92 victory Tuesday -- their ninth straight game holding an opponent under 100.
During their winning streak, the Spurs are allowing 87.4 points and 40.8 percent shooting per game.
Against Golden State, Tony Parker had 26 points and seven assists and Duncan added 17 points and 12 rebounds. Parker is shooting 22-for-34 (64.7 percent) in the last two games, while Duncan has seven double-doubles in his last eight games.
Parker had only five points, however, in a 97-91 loss at Utah on Jan. 28, as Duncan's 26 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili's 29 points weren't enough to beat the Jazz (50-26).
Few teams do in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 34-4 at home this season, having won five straight and 24 of their last 25 there.
They've won five of six overall, including a 117-100 home victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, Utah's final game of the season against a team with a losing record.
Mehmet Okur had 22 points and Deron Williams scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting with 14 assists for the Jazz, who pulled away with a 38-22 scoring edge in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves chose to key on Utah's inside game, holding Carlos Boozer to 12 points and seven rebounds. But led by Okur, the Jazz were 12-of-22 from 3-point range.
"It's kind of like pick your poison," Boozer said. "You give us a layup, we're going to take that. You give us a 3-point shot, we have guys that can make it."
Utah holds a 3 1/2-game lead atop the Northwest Division, but its final six games are against teams currently in playoff position in the West -- including a pair of meetings with San Antonio.
"It's going to be a tough schedule for us," Okur said, "but at the same time it's a good challenge. We just want to finish the season strong."
The home team has won the last seven games between the Spurs and Jazz. The clubs meet again in the season finale in San Antonio on April 16.