Belinelli cleared to return, giving Spurs healthy roster for 1st time all season

A three-day break was the right tonic for the San Antonio Spurs, who should field a fully healthy roster for the first time during their NBA title defense when Marco Belinelli returns from a groin strain Wednesday. 

Belinelli missed the last 11 games with the injury, but has been cleared by team doctors to play against the Orlando Magic, Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports. 

Belinelli participated in a full team practice Tuesday, and looked good, according to teammate Tony Parker. 

Belinelli has been itching to get back on the court - "I really can't wait to play," he told Monroe - and has apparently been badgering coach Gregg Popovich about putting him back in the lineup. 

"He’s starting to pound on me," Popovich said.

Belinelli has averaged 9.7 points in 29 games this season, shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range. 

With injuries to major contributors like Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills at different points in the season, along with requisite rest for vets Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, it's been tough for the Spurs to find a consistent rhythm. They currently sit seventh in the Western Conference with a 30-18 record, which is already just two losses shy of their total from last season. 

But the Spurs are healthy again, and Belinelli's return will mean finally having all 15 rostered players available for a game. 

"You just move forward," Popovich said Tuesday. "Every team has challenges and things they have to do, and that’s our challenge."

The Spurs have always had a knack for peaking at the right time, and now, a little over three months into what's been an unusually trying season, the pieces are once again falling into place.