NBA Hall-of-Fame coach Phil Jackson once said that for a team to be considered an “elite” championship contender, they must win 40 games in the regular season before they lose 20. On Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs became the third team to meet that criteria in the 2025-26 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons are also in that category, and at 36-19, the Boston Celtics still have a chance to join the conversation.
It’s fitting that the Spurs accomplished this feat on a night where they showed what makes them a scary playoff contender, and what may make some fans question their chances of advancing past the first round.
San Antonio began and ended the game with force. They got to the basket, shared the rock, and played fast in transition. Victor Wembanyama looked like a man on a mission, locked in defensively and getting whatever he wanted around the basket. In the middle of the game, the team looked a bit complacent. Turning the ball over, allowing open shots, and giving up offensive rebounds. The Spurs had 18 turnovers and allowed the Kings’ rookie big man, Maxime Raynaud, to grab 7 offensive rebounds.
As all great teams do, when it came to winning time, San Antonio, particularly Wembanyama, turned it on and downed an inferior opponent. Wembanyama looks like a man on a mission after the All-Star break. In San Antonio’s two Austin games, Wembanyama has dropped a combined 45 points, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 blocks. He’s locked in defensively and is getting good looks within the flow of the offense around the basket. This level of performance from Wembanyama is what takes a good Spurs team to a great one capable of making noise in the playoffs.
It’s funny that after two games where the Spurs looked stellar (at times) against inferior, short-handed opponents, they’ll now travel to face the best team with the NBA’s best record. San Antonio will get a chance to prove they really mean business on Monday against the Detroit Pistons, with an 8-game winning streak on the line.
Takeaways:
- It’s no fun to think about what could have been when things are going so well, but every time I see Raynaud play, I think about his potential wearing the Silver and Black. The Spurs traded the 38th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which could have been used to draft the Kings’ big man. It would have been a great fit, too. He’s known Wembanyama since they were teenagers, and would give San Antonio a floor-spacing, offensive big man that could backup and play alongside their superstar. Raynaud had 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Spurs on Saturday. Of course, it’s more complex than I’m making it out to be. Second-round picks often have more sway over where they will go, especially as agents are trying to secure guaranteed standard contracts for them rather than two-way deals. San Antonio also has an awesome backup big man in Luke Kornet, so everything is fine. But as I watched Wemby and Raynaud do a jersey swap after the game, I thought it would be even better to see them on the same team.
- Outscoring a team 74-46 in the paint is one heck of a stat, and points to what the Spurs do so well. When Wembanyama was in the game, the Kings’ only hope to score inside was to score in transition or get floaters to go over the top of him. He changed the game entirely when he played. Offensively, the team is so good at getting into the paint, especially when Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper are all having good nights. The Kings didn’t play much interior defense either, which helps tremendously.
- On top of their half-court scoring, the Spurs were awesome at getting out in transition and finding easy baskets. Whether it was hitting Devin Vassell on early passes for three-pointers while the defense wasn’t ready, or Harper and Fox getting all the way to the cup, or getting good looks from Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie at the rim, San Antonio’s offense looked at its best when it was playing fast. It will be interesting to see if the team can keep up that pace of play in a slower, more physical playoff setting.
- Russell Westbrook and Fox got into it for a moment in the third quarter, after Westbrook showed the Spurs’ point guard. Fox seemed to be playing some aggressive defense, and Russ took offense to it. Who was the first Spur to walk into the scuffle after Fox was pushed? Wembanyama. It was a brief moment, but it showed that he is firmly in a leadership position on the team, coming to the aid of his teammates even in a physical altercation.