LOS ANGELES — Spurs general manager R.C. Buford’s itinerary for All-Star Weekend includes chatting with peers, a stop at Friday’s NBA technology summit, and, of course, singing the praises of LaMarcus Aldridge.

“He has played fantastic,” Buford said of the Spurs’ lone selection for Sunday’s All-Star Game.

But as busy as he will be in Los Angeles, Buford’s thoughts will never stray too far from the Spurs and their ever-present injury woes.

“The All-Star break came at a good time for us,” he said.

The Spurs don’t play again until Feb. 23, when they resume their six-game rodeo road trip back in Denver, where they lost 117-109 to the Nuggets on Tuesday without Aldridge (knee), Rudy Gay (heel), and, of course, two-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who has played in just nine games this season while struggling to escape his quadriceps quagmire.

If all goes well for him Sunday, Aldridge should be ready to go in Denver after missing the last two games for some routine maintenance work on his chronically sore right knee. But Buford said there is still “no firm timeline” for the return of Leonard and Gay, who has missed the last 23 games.

“Kawhi will be available when he’s ready,” Buford said.

Buford said Gay has been “working toward” a return after the All-Star break, but he indicated the 12th-year forward is still awaiting the green light from the team’s medical staff.

“The doctors will dictate return to play,” Buford said of Gay, who was averaging 11.5 points before an MRI revealed he is suffering from retrocalcaneal bursitis in his right heel.

But even if they get Leonard and Gay back, will the remaining 23 games be enough time for the Spurs to round into shape for a deep playoff run?

“I’m not a fortune teller, so I don’t know,” Buford said. “There is not a lot of time to practice. Our schedule is challenging.”

The Spurs are 35-24 after losing five of their last six games, including the last three in a row, and they face the league’s toughest closing schedule. Eighteen of their final 23 games are against teams better than .500, a grueling gauntlet that places their NBA-record streak of 18 straight 50-win seasons in jeopardy.

Some fans have criticized the Spurs for standing pat at the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline, but Buford defended the decision not to break up the core group that advanced to the Western Conference Finals last season.

“I don’t know that we have ever been aggressive in midseason restructuring of the team,” Buford said. “And, again, we’ve had our (full) team together for (only one game) all season long. So to make a bunch of changes, that’s just not who we are.”

But no matter the schedule or the state of their roster, the Spurs will continue to fight, Buford said.

“Our guys have competed,” he said.

And that’s especially true of Aldridge, who is averaging 22.4 points, 8.4 rebounds 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field.

“His presence with our team and the impact he has had among the group has been really fun to watch happen,” Buford said. “We are proud for him, because I know being recognized in this group of players carries a significant meaning in the league, and he deserves that.”