標籤: Antonio

The San Antonio Spurs have been on a roll lately and continued their winning ways with an impressive win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday evening. It was another solid game for Victor Vembanyama, who scored 19 points with 15 rebounds in the win.

One of the Spurs’ unsung heroes this year is Keldon Johnson, who is one of the leading candidates for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Recently, Spurs commentator and former player Sean Elliott joked about Johnson’s listed weight of 215 pounds after a win over the Grizzlies.

“I wanted to ask you what you have listed here, because we’ve had a lot of fun with it over the last few months. According to the official game notes, you weigh exactly the same as Julian Champagne at 215, Stephen Castle weighs 220, which is more than you… Keldon Johnson, 6’6″, 215. What you’re doing there at 215 pounds is amazing… I want to know how in the world you’re getting away from that. Are,” X, Elliott previously said on Twitter, per FanSided’s Josh Paradee.

Johnson responded with a smile, “I’m not 215 years old.” “Maybe a year ago. I’m a little over 215.”

Regardless of his weight, Johnson has been a key piece for the Spurs this year, providing solid defense, showing an improved three-point touch, and continuing to be a force as a driver to the basket, putting consistent pressure on opposing defenses around the rim.

He is one of several Spurs players who have stepped up to give Wembanyama an elite supporting cast this year, and San Antonio is looking like a legitimate championship contender as a result.

The Spurs next play on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

The San Antonio Spurs earned their 51st win of the season, defeating the Sacramento Kings 132–104. Victor Wembanyama says achieving his first 50-win season in almost a decade is a feat that has been more than a year in the making.

“I look back and think, ‘I hope we can be locked in like this for all of the upcoming offseason,’ because it was a high level of preparation mentally, physically for everybody; the amount of film we did. And that’s why we were so prepared for the season. So, that’s what I think when I look back.”

San Antonio entered the year with a 34–48 campaign, following a 22–60 mark in Wembley’s rookie season. While this provides a context for what could prove to be a very impressive 2025-2026, it reaches the minimum expectation for generational talent.

“One thing you can say is take each step at a time and validate the boxes checked. My goal was never to make the play-ins or win the play-ins. It was to go to the playoffs without question and that would have been a successful season at that point,” the Spurs’ leading scorer said after the win against the Los Angeles Clippers the night before.

At just 22 years old, Vembanyama displayed wisdom beyond his years. It’s been this way since he entered the NBA at the age of 19. And it’s a gift that he went home after the win in LA.

“It’s always difficult to look at a season as a whole. We can look at the season as our worst at the end of 2025 or as our best right now in the month of February.”

After a stint in which they won 11 of 12 games, including three against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs lost consecutive home games to the Utah Jazz and then-struggling Cleveland Cavaliers team. A week later, they again lost consecutive games, this time to the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies, who were in 10th and 11th place in the Western Conference standings by mid-March.

In contrast, San Antonio did not lose in February and recently lost only one game at a home field filled with postseason contenders, including some of the league’s best players. And that loss came to the Denver Nuggets without Wembanyama.

Spurs resume makes history with 50+ wins

Before this season, the last time the Silver and Black had 50 wins was in 2016–17 when they won 61 and reached the Western Conference Finals. That run, which ended in a 4–1 series loss to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors after Kawhi Leonard re-aggravated an ankle injury, marked the franchise’s 20th consecutive win of 50+ (or the equivalent – ​​37 in strike short ’99).

The Spurs are 51-18 after a 132-104 loss in Sacramento.

“It’s very possible that these last 14 games have been satisfactory. Or not. That’s why we have to take each step at a time,” Wembanyama said after the aforementioned win over the Clippers.

“Although the season will be somewhat successful when viewed overall, we still have (13) games left.”

The truth is that Wembanyama and the Spurs look set to play even better with 13 games left in the regular season.

Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins made one of the boldest calls of the season, and it immediately put Victor Wambayama and the San Antonio Spurs front and center against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Speaking on First Take, Perkins didn’t hold back from discussing the NBA Finals picture. He went beyond praise. He made a prediction that caught the attention of the entire league.

“The San Antonio Spurs are going to win the NBA Championship.”@kendrickperkins Doubles down on Spurs, knocks Thunder out of playoffs pic.twitter.com/g9bs08Wpqw

– First Tech (@FirstTech) 17 March 2026

Perkins said, “You all know how I feel about the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s my home away from home, but damn, I’m going to say it again on national television, the San Antonio Spurs are going to win the NBA championship this year.”

That statement came down hard. This challenged the growing perception that the Thunder were the team to beat in the West. It also elevated a young Spurs group that continues to grow behind Victor Wembanyama.

Perkins did not stop here. He said, “I don’t pay attention to all this, they don’t have experience to talk about.” “They’re going to have home court advantage all the way to the conference finals.” His confidence reflects how San Antonio has played. The energy is real. Trust is being built.

Victor Vembanyama sits at the center of it all. Perkins praised his development as a complete power forward. “I like how he’s found that balance… first of all being a big guy, then being a guy who is a star and a leader in his role,” he said. Growth is visible every night.

However, Spurs are not dependent on any one player. Stephen Cassel has developed into a steady facilitator. Their two-man chemistry continues to improve. “Having Stephen Cassel, they have that,” Perkins explained, pointing to their playoff-ready connection.

Meanwhile, veterans like Harrison Barnes and De’Aaron Fox bring experience and composure. This system is based on what Perkins called “agenda free basketball”. Anyone can move forward. Any moment can change.

So as the race to the NBA Finals heats up, one question now looms large: Are the Spurs really ready to prove Kendrick Perkins right and defeat the Thunder when it matters most?

As experts and fans continue to ponder whether the San Antonio Spurs are actually true NBA Championship contenders, one team after another is indicating that they are. The performance of the young core on the franchise’s annual rodeo road trip highlights another sign – at least by their standards – that they are taking the next step.

The annual excursion that takes the Spurs away from their home for a month began during the 2002–2003 season when the organization moved to a new arena. The Spurs went 8-1 that year as the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo took over their building. This is a road trip mark that no Silver and Black team has ever been able to surpass. In ’03, the Silver and Black used it down the stretch to reach the franchise’s second championship.

Two years later, the Spurs claimed a third title after going 5–2, representing the third Rodeo Road Trip in franchise history. In June 2007, the Spurs again held the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Four months earlier, he had posted 4-4 marks within February. Seven years after that, they went 6-3 in a 28-day span en route to the 2014 championship.

Between and immediately following their fifth title, the franchise never held a losing record on the Rodeo Road Trip:

2004: 6-1
2006: 6-2
2008: 6-3
2009: 5-3

2010: 4-4
2011: 6-3
2012: 8-1
2013: 7-2
2015: 4-5
2016: 7-1
2017: 6-2

It’s probably not a coincidence that ’17 also marks the last time the Spurs advanced to the conference finals. Beginning with the Rodeo Road Trip in 2003 and thereafter, the organization reached the league semi-finals nine times.

Rodeo road trip success declines for Spurs

From the 2017-’18 season through the campaign ending in the spring of 2023, the Spurs never once achieved a winning record — other than a three-game trip in 2021 that was significantly shortened due to COVID restrictions. Otherwise, the organization struggled every February:

2018: 2-4

2019: 1-7

2020: 2-6

2022: 4-4

2023: 1-8

The Spurs qualified for the playoffs in ’18 before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round. The following season they again made the postseason, taking on the second-seeded Denver Nuggets before losing in Game 7.

The franchise has not made the playoffs, breaking the NBA record of 22 consecutive appearances.

Victor Wembanyama’s first experience with the franchise’s two-decade tradition also represented one of its worst performances as the Silver and Black went 1–8 for the second consecutive rodeo road trip.

Then they went 3-7 last year.

This time, February included an impressive 11–0 record, marking the third time in franchise history that the team has gone undefeated in a calendar month (minimum ten games) and the club’s longest winning streak since 2015–16. Seven of those 11 wins came on the road, including wins against the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers.

Officially, the Spurs went 6-1 on the Rodeo Road Trip this year. In reality, they won eight of nine away from the Frost Bank Center when their two annual ‘home’ games in Austin were included in the expansion.

That 8–1 mark matched the 2002–03 team’s record. Now we wait to see if these Spurs match that Championship team in any other way.

The Atlanta Hawks caused quite a surprise when they announced plans to host a Magic City themed promotion during one of their home games. Magic City is a famous strip club located in Atlanta that regularly attracts celebrity visitors. But not everyone is in favor of the Hawks’ promotion, including San Antonio Spurs big man Luke Kornet.

Luke Cornett, who runs a public online blog while playing for the Spurs, wrote a new post this week explaining his reasoning for why he thinks the Hawks should cancel their Magic City promotion night.

“This week, the Atlanta Hawks announced a special one-night-only collaboration to celebrate the city’s iconic cultural institution Magic City during the team’s home games against the Orlando Magic on Monday, March 16,” Cornett wrote. Given this fact, I would respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with the Magic City.

Cornette explained the potential dangers of working in such an industry, and suggested that the Magic City was not the type of family-friendly business the NBA should be promoting.

The Hawks’ Promotional Night is currently scheduled for March 16 during the team’s home game against the Orlando Magic. Ticket sales for the game have reportedly increased, and the team has already begun selling promotional merchandise.

While Cornette may be against the idea, there are others, like former NBA player Lou Williams, who expressed his support for the effort.

Having additional frontcourt depth, especially in exchange for an upcoming playoff run, is never a bad thing. The San Antonio Spurs bolstered the frontcourt depth on their roster on Friday with the signing of veteran big man Mason Plumlee to a remaining season contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Mason Plumlee originally signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs, and his new contract came just as the 10-day contract was about to expire. The Spurs’ roster now stands at 15 standard contracts and three two-way contracts.

Plumlee entered the free agent market after being waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He began the 2025–26 season with the Charlotte Hornets, but was included as part of the multi-team trade that sent Ousmane Dieng to the Chicago Bulls.

The Thunder then needed a roster spot to complete a trade agreed upon with the Philadelphia 76ers involving Jared McCain, and Plumlee was the casualty.

Plumlee, the 22nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, is in his 13th season in the league. Before signing with the Spurs, he had appeared in 14 games with the Hornets, including two starts, playing a little over eight minutes per game. He averaged 1.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists while splitting 75 percent shooting from the field and 66.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Plumlee began his NBA career with the Brooklyn Nets, and has also had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, and Phoenix Suns. As far as the Spurs’ current depth chart, Plumlee would appear behind Luke Kornet, Kelly Olynyk and Bismack Biyombo in terms of centers. He is yet to feature in a game for Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Ingram has spent much of this season honing his skills behind the scenes. The quiet development of the 2024 second-round pick has been a source of satisfaction within the Spurs organization.

Ingram was named G League Player of the Week after averaging 22.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his last five appearances with the Austin Spurs. He recorded four double-doubles and one triple-double, while Austin posted a 4–1 record.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of Ingram’s development, “The Player of the Week is definitely trending in the right direction.” “I think it’s always somewhat gratifying for him, somewhat beneficial as an organization and a staff, and somewhat fun when you have a young player in your program for a year and they’re grinding, especially when you’re in the G League and it can be a little out of sight, out of mind to the outside world. You’re selling them on slowly getting better and keeping up with the process.

“It can be hard for young guys when, sometimes, they don’t get the attention or direct feedback that they’re looking for or that they’re used to, especially because a lot of them end up being really good college players. So it’s great for him to continue to be that way and see the improvement and development that he’s had and to be recognized in a very deserving way.”

Ingram, the No. 48 pick in the 2024 draft out of North Carolina, has spent most of this season in the G League, appearing in just five NBA games.

Harrison Ingram showing improvement in G League after signing two-way contract

The 6-foot-5 forward’s two-way development with Austin has been encouraging for San Antonio. Ingram is averaging 16.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 48.2 percent shooting in 21 G League appearances.

“He’s really accepted his role and embraced it,” Johnson said. “It can be hard to do that in terms of your role as a defender, a physical role player, playing off the ball to a certain extent. But always trying to extend or create more possessions with offensive rebounds, hitting open shots, getting out and running in transition, and obviously we want him to be a dominant defender and be able to rebound. I think that’s something he’s really embraced and you’ve seen it. And sometimes when you do that If you do it, you get a monster production with it, you can tell he has put his energy in the right places.”

The Spurs signed Ingram to a one-year, two-way contract before this season.

The San Antonio Spurs released several injury updates ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings as they prepare to continue their strong effort atop the Western Conference standings.

San Antonio (39-16) will host Sacramento (12-45) at 5:00 pm PT, looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak to end a two-game homestand. Meanwhile, the Kings enter the contest trying to break a franchise-record 15-game losing streak.

According to the Spurs’ injury report released on Saturday, Harrison Ingram (G League – two-way) and Stanley Umude (G League – two-way) are listed as questionable. David Jones Garcia (G League – Two-Way) is out. Veteran center Mason Plumlee is also out of his return to competition. Lindy Waters III is listed as questionable with left knee hyperextension.

Spurs list Lindy Waters III questionable, Mason Plumlee out vs. Kings

The 28-year-old Waters last appeared in San Antonio’s 112-103 win over the Orlando Magic on Feb. 1. He played two minutes in that contest and recorded a turnover as his only statistic. In 28 games this season, Waters is averaging a career-low 1.9 points in 6.8 minutes per game, while shooting 35.2 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from beyond the arc. His current usage rate also marks a career low.

Plumlee, 35, joined the Spurs on a 10-day contract after being traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal involving Ousmane Dieng and later being waived by Oklahoma City. The veteran center last played on December 22 in a 139–122 loss to Charlotte, finishing with five points and five rebounds on 2-4 shooting in 10 minutes. He later underwent surgery to treat a right groin injury and was sidelined.

In 14 appearances this season, including two starts, Plumlee is averaging 1.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes per game, while shooting a career-high 75 percent from the field.

With several rotations and depth pieces to deal with injuries, the Spurs will aim to keep the momentum going against a struggling Kings team to stop their skid.

Heading into their most recent game, there were two Western Conference teams that the San Antonio Spurs had yet to beat this season. One is the Los Angeles Clippers, with whom Devin Vassell and company have yet to play. The other was the Phoenix Suns.

“We’re 0-2 against them, so we owe them a favor,” Vassell said before their meeting in Austin, Texas.

The Spurs entered the post-All-Star portion of the NBA year with the second-best record in the West. They are actually closer to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who started the season 24-1, than they are to the team behind them in the standings. And while San Antonio has defeated the defending champions four times in 2025-2026, they have yet to beat a Phoenix team that is also in the playoff picture.

“To be honest, I’m excited for this match,” Vassell said ahead of their latest meeting.

“…They’re still a very good team. We’re 0-2 against them. So we owe it to them. Excited for this game, to be honest”⬇️

-Devin Vassell tonight vs. Suns vs. Dillon Brooks in Austin

Phoenix is ​​the only West team #spurs Have played, but have not been able to beat this season#porvida #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/yeQ6k4OpCg

– Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) 19 February 2026

While the Spurs entered the match healthy, the Suns did not. Guard Dillon Brooks was out due to a league-imposed suspension. Adding insult to injury – or in this case the other way around – star guard Devin Booker exited the Spurs’ 121-94 win with hip soreness.

“We know the type of energy, defense and intensity [Dillon Brooks] “They’re still a really good team.”

Spurs want to beat Suns for the first time

San Antonio’s first loss this season actually came in Phoenix. At 5–0 for the first time in franchise history, the Spurs were already without De’Aaron Fox when they lost Dylan Harper to injury in the second quarter. The Suns took a seven-point lead after the first quarter and never really looked back, outscoring the visitors in the second and even third quarters before the fourth quarter, which largely consisted of substitute players, en route to a 130–118 result.

The Spurs lost again three nights later (at the Los Angeles Lakers), but they bounced back by winning three consecutive nights. This helped determine the standing of the Silver and Black’s season so far.

Just three weeks later on November 23, the Spurs found themselves in Arizona again. Still without Harper, who will return shortly after with a calf strain, head coach Mitch Johnson recalled Fox. But they were missing both Victor Vembanyama and Stephen Castle. Spurs’ two young stars had suffered injuries in consecutive games a week earlier. Led by Brooks’ 25 and Booker’s 24 points, the Suns won 111–102.

This led to their latest meeting. Although part of the Rodeo road trip, the games against the Suns and Sacramento Kings are a slight departure from the team’s annual tradition, as part of Spurs Sports & Entertainment made an agreement with the city of Austin and the University of Texas to play two home games in the state capital.

The win against Phoenix marked San Antonio’s seventh consecutive win, extending their longest actual winning streak of the season, the previous eight-game winning streak also included a defeat of the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Finals.

The Clippers are the only Western team that the Spurs have not defeated. His first shot in LA will come on March 6.

Although the NBA is still on the All-Star break, that hasn’t stopped the San Antonio Spurs from working behind the scenes, with Brian Wright, Gregg Popovich and company signing veteran center Mason Plumlee to a 10-day contract to fill out their roster.

Taking to social media to announce the news, ESPN’s Shams Charania broke down the signing, noting that after 12 seasons in the NBA, Plumlee is headed to San Antonio to make it the lucky 13.

“Free agent center Mason Plumlee is signing a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs, Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN,” Charania wrote. “Plumlee begins his 13th NBA season in Charlotte and now joins the Spurs for the second half.”

Drafted into the NBA with the 22nd overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, Plumlee is one of the more well-traveled veterans on the open market, playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets, most recently with two starts for 14 games in 2025-26.

While Plumlee has earned more headlines over the years for getting into fights than producing major on the court, averaging just 1.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes of action per game for the Hornets this season, he has 874 regular-season games and 71 postseason attempts on his resume in this 10-day contract. Will Plumlee play major minutes for the Spurs next week and make a difference? It’s hard to say, but adding another veteran to the building could give Victor Wembanyama and company some much-needed help.