Week in Review: Shorthanded Spurs keep playing with effort as the end of season draws near

Yahoo

08-04-2025

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 23: The Spurs went winless against a tough schedule featuring four playoff-bound teams, beginning with a blowout loss in Detroit as their league-leading March offense came back to earth and ending with a horrific showing at home against the Warriors, where they gave up a season-high 148 points. It between those games, they put up two admirable showings against the East's two leaders, making both the Cavs and Celtics work until the buzzer for their victories.
Week 24: 1-3 (32-46, 13th in West)
105-116 loss vs. Orlando Magic (rescheduled)
Recap: In a game where the Spurs should have had a rare rest night but instead were making a up a rescheduled game, they looked much better than the Warriors game and even led by double-figures late in the third quarter, but mistakes took over from there, and the Magic and their 2nd ranked defense inserted their will to pull away in the fourth quarter.
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What we learned
113-106 win at Denver Nuggets
Recap: Aided by the Nuggets resting their entire starting lineup after a 2OT loss the night before, the similarly shorthanded Spurs — who added Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson to their injury list — used their depth, with seven players scored in double figures, to outlast Denver, leading most of the way despite being on a SEGABABA themselves. (The Spurs sure do love to play April spoilers for the Nuggets.)
What we learned
113-114 loss vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Recap: After a rough first half in which the Cavs couldn't miss from three and the Spurs were down by as much as 23, they came roaring back in the second half. Led by the two 'Uncs' of the roster, they went on a huge 14-2 run in the final minutes to get within a point and had a chance to steal a win at the buzzer. Unfortunately, Harrison Barnes' floater bounced off the back iron for the heartbreaking loss, but it was still an admirable effort.
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What we learned
109-120 loss at Portland Trail Blazers
Recap: As has often been the case this season, a slow start against the severely shorthanded Trail Blazers put the Spurs in too deep of a whole to dig out of. While they fought back and got close several times, they could never quite get out of their own way and over the hump (for example, the Blazers got three buckets off their own makes when the Spurs turned over the inbound pass). The loss officially eliminated the Spurs from play-in contention.
What we learned
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 23 (last week: 23)
OffRtg: 113.4 (18) DefRtg: 116.2 (25) NetRtg: -2.8 (22) Pace: 100.1 (13)
It was a tough season in San Antonio, with coach Gregg Popovich suffering a stroke in November and Victor Wembanyama's season being cut short at the All-Star break by deep vein thrombosis. The Spurs' playoff drought has reached six years (second-longest active drought), but they've been the league's sixth most improved team regarding winning percentage and seventh most improved statistically (+3.6 points per 100 possessions). They were 21-25 in the games that Wembanyama played after going 19-52 with him in uniform last season.
One takeaway
With Wembanyama out for the last seven weeks and De'Aaron Fox also getting shut down in mid-March, the focus has been on the development of Stephon Castle. Three-point shooting (28.3%) has been an issue for the rookie all season, but he's been attacking more since the break (15.2 drives per 36 minutes) than he did prior (10.9 per 36) and ranks 13th in free throw rate (33.4 attempts per 100 shots from the field) among 92 players 6-6 or shorter with at least 500 field goal attempts. If the perimeter shot (and finishing in the paint) improves in the next few years, Castle will be very tough to defend.
What to watch for this summer
Three of the league's biggest summer storylines will originate from San Antonio. There's the continued recovery of Popovich and Wembanyama, along with the future of Chris Paul (one of the best point guards in NBA history). If the Spurs stay where they are (eighth) in the upside-down standings, they'll have a 26% chance at another top-four pick. It's more likely that they land at No. 8 or 9 in the Draft, with the Hawks' pick (likely No. 10-16) also coming their way.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 23 (last week: 24)
Not much has gone right for the San Antonio Spurs this season, with their stars being out and Gregg Popovich suffering his mild stroke near the start of the year. The good news is that Stephon Castle appears to be in line to win the Rookie of the Year award, marking the second straight season that this organization has had the best first-year player in the NBA. Could the Spurs do it again and hit the nail on the head with their spot in the NBA Draft Lottery?
Coming up: Tues. 4/8 at Los Angeles Clippers; Wed. 4/9 at Golden State Warriors; Fri. 4/11 at Phoenix Suns; Sun 4/13 vs. Toronto Raptors
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Prediction: 2-2 — It's the end of the season, so why not dream 'big'? I wholeheartedly believe the Spurs will win their season finale at home against a Raptors team they thoroughly beat just a few weeks ago, and Phoenix, who is two games behind the Mavs for the 10th seed with four games remaining, could very well be checked out and playing for nothing by the time the Spurs arrive. As for the two games before that? The Clippers and Warriors are in the battle of their lives for the playoffs, currently sitting in the 5th and 6th seeds respectively but in a four-way tie record-wise for 5th-8th, so every single game matters. The odds are slim they'll blow home games to the shorthanded Spurs with so much at stake.
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