Week 21: The Spurs’ “return from the Rodeo Road Trip” six-game homestand continued against three more postseason-bound teams. After a tight first half against the Boston Celtics, who had Jayson Tatum back from last season’s Achilles rupture, the Spurs took control after Jaylen Brown got himself ejected, with Victor Wembanyama leading the way with 39 points on 8 three-pointers. He then missed the next game against the Nuggets with a sore ankle, and while the Spurs were in control most of the night,
they went cold late in the third quarter, blowing a 20-point lead as Denver rallied back to end their five-game winning streak. Finally, they returned to form to get revenge on the Hornets for their January 31 winter storm debacle to finish the homestand 5-1.
Week 22: 4-0 (53-18, 2nd in West)
119-115 win at Los Angeles Clippers
Back on the road facing a Clippers squad missing Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs got out to a sluggish start, getting down 17-3 before surging back to take a 66-52 halftime lead. They would eventually get ahead by 24 points, but then the Spurs got complacent and let the Clippers, led by Darius Garland, back in the game, causing fears of a reverse outcome from a couple weeks prior. Fortunately, the Spurs did just enough to stay ahead and hit their free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory.
132-104 win at Sacramento Kings
The Spurs continued their season-long trend of dominating on the second night of a back-to-back, and they didn’t need much help against a lowly, shorthanded Kings squad. The Spurs were red hot from three, hitting a franchise-record 25 of them from 10 different players, and the game was essentially over by halftime. About the only thing of note that happened was Russell Westbrook passed Steve Nash on the all-time assist leaders board.
The Suns may have been missing Dillon Brooks, but they continued to show why they are a thorn in the Spurs’ side and potentially tough first round opponent. The Suns shooters were hot, and without Stephon Castle’s perimeter defense, the Spurs had trouble containing Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker. But like always, they fought back, with Wemby going into MVP mode to hit his first NBA go-ahead game-winner with a second left, after the Spurs had successfully forced the ball into rookie Rasheer Felmming’s hands on the other end, who missed both free throws. The thrilling victory secured the Spurs’ first playoff berth since 2019.
134-119 win vs. Indiana Pacers
It wasn’t always pretty, but even without trying their hardest for much of the game, the Spurs were simply too talented for the severely shorthanded Pacers. With Castle and Devin Vassell sitting this one out, Dylan Harper got the first start of his NBA career and didn’t flinch, tying his career high of 24 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Keldon Johnson led the bench with 24 points in a wire-to-wire blowout that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 2 (last week: 2)
OffRtg: 118.0 (4) DefRtg: 110.5 (3) NetRtg: +7.5 (4) Pace: 100.8 (12)
The Spurs might not catch the Thunder, but they’re looking good to finish with the league’s second-best record. They’re 21-2 since Feb. 1, with 12 of those 21 wins coming against other teams with winning records.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs ranked seventh offensively at the All-Star break, and they’ve had the league’s fourth-most-improved offense since the break. They’ve scored 124.7 points per 100 possessions over their last 11 games, with eight guys averaging double-figures over that stretch. Not all eight have played in all 11 games, but the offense has continued to roll, even though at least one of Dylan Harper, Stephen Castle or Devin Vassell has missed each of their last five.
2. The Spurs came back from 10 points down with less than five minutes left to beat the Suns on Thursday, with Victor Wembanyama draining the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left. San Antonio is one of two teams – the Sixers are the other – with a league-high five wins (they’re 5-11) in games they trailed by double-digits in the fourth. Wembanyama is one of eight players with at least five buckets (he’s 5-for-8) to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.
3. It’s worth remembering that the Spurs were one of four teams that were worse than average on both ends of the floor in each of the last three seasons. They’re now 10.3 points per 100 possessions better than they were last season (minus-2.8), which would be the eighth biggest season-to-season jump in the 30 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. (The Hornets have seen the second biggest.)Coming up: The Spurs will play six of their next seven games on the road, but after visiting the Heat on Monday, they’ll play five straight games against teams with losing records. Both Castle and Vassell are listed as questionable for the game in Miami.
Law Murray, The Athletic — 2 (last week: 2)
New players added after Week 1: C Mason Plumlee, PF Emanuel Miller (two-way)
Departed players from Week 1: PF Jeremy Sochan, PF Riley Minix (two-way)The Spurs are officially back in the playoffs for the first time this decade. They are 26-5 since they last lost back-to-back games (at Minnesota and Oklahoma City more than two months ago). And we all have our alien overlord Victor Wembanyama to thank. You all know what comes next, and that is all of you hating the Spurs again, if nothing else because of Wemby’s commitment toward farm-to-table ethical hoops. I’m fascinated to see what this group does starting next month. They are basically the 2024 Thunder, which means seeing Luka Dončiç in the second round is going to get spooky. Prepare for “lack of experience” narratives and the like. Yes, I know De’Aaron Fox and Week 1 starter Harrison Barnes are here. But Fox has won as many playoff series as you and I, and Barnes hasn’t won one since leaving the Warriors a decade ago. San Antonio even has former 2024 Thunderbuddy Bismack Biyombo to warn his new teammates about the upcoming playoff run, along with Mason (not Mike Muscala) Plumlee, who is here because Jeremy Sochan is not. Every first-time playoff team needs a lottery-pick scapegoat, and the Spurs figured to get off Sochan before the playoff run. See, the Thunder had to wait for the maiden playoff run to get off Josh Giddey. Maybe the Spurs really are ahead of the curve.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 2 (last week: 2)
The Spurs’ recent string of success goes back even longer than the Thunder entering March. Since the start of February, the Spurs have gone 21-2, ranking first in win percentage and first in offensive rating and also leading the league in net rating. Their only two losses during this span were to the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, two premier playoff threats in both conferences.
Aside from their depth and defensive toughness, what makes the Spurs a real title threat this season is none other than Wembanyama. He sets the tone for San Antonio on offense, and Wemby alters his opponent’s offensive mindset every play because of his defensive abilities and length in the paint.
Oh, and Wembanyama has made it his personal mission to step up and play his best basketball of the season heading into the playoffs.
“Right now, in my mind is taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP and the DPOY,” Wembanyama stated recently. “So, I’m trying to press the gas from now until the end of the season. Really take care of my treatment, take care of my sleep, take care of my routine, and show up for my team.”
Just because they don’t have a whole lot of playoff experience doesn’t mean the Spurs won’t be successful in the postseason. This team has exceeded expectations all season, and we have yet to see them play their best basketball. Other than the Thunder, nobody else has the depth and size to be able to compete against the Spurs.
Coming up: Mon. 3/23 at Miami Heat (38-33); Wed. 3/25 at Memphis Grizzlies (24-46); Sat. 3/25 at Milwaukee Bucks (29-41)
Prediction: 3-0 — No reason to predict a loss here. While the Spurs embark on a stretch that will feature six of seven games on the road before they close on a four-game homestand, this is arguably their easiest of the remaining three weeks (not than any will be that hard) despite being entirely on the road. The Heat have gone 1-4 since Bam Adebayo’s (infamous?) 83-point game, in including losing four straight, but they are in a brutal standings battle between the 5th and 10th seeds, so the Spurs should expect their best effort. Beyond that, the Grizzlies and Bucks are all-but eliminated from the postseason, stars Ja Morant and Giannis Antentokounmpo are out, and former problem Grizzly for the Spurs Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah.
