Spurs' life beyond Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs are proving that their ascent up the NBA mountain won’t falter—even without their brightest star, Victor Wembanyama. The young phenom has been sidelined since colliding with Anthony Davis during a clash with the Lakers, nursing a right knee contusion. Given Wembanyama’s importance to the present and future of basketball, every precaution is being taken to ensure his full recovery.

In his absence, the Spurs have played three games, emerging with a positive record. After a narrow loss to the Dallas Mavericks in a Texas showdown, San Antonio rallied to secure back-to-back wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz. Each victory came with its own unique story.

A statement against the Thunder

Facing the conference favorites, the Thunder, the Spurs delivered a masterclass performance, matching Oklahoma City’s pace and intensity. It was a game that demanded admiration for the resilience and effort of San Antonio’s young squad.

Late surge seals victory over the Jazz

Against the Utah Jazz, however, the Spurs had to dig deep after a slow start. In a game where execution faltered early on, they relied heavily on their loyal home crowd to reignite their momentum. Even San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined in the celebration, thanking veteran Chris Paul for stepping up as a leader. Paul, who once loathed facing the Spurs, is now a crucial mentor for the team’s rising talents.

This victory was also a nod to legendary coach Gregg Popovich, who is recovering at home after a stroke forced him to step away temporarily from the NBA. The Spurs pulled off a gritty 126-118 win, evening their record at 8-8. Now, they brace for their next challenge: the red-hot Golden State Warriors.

Jazz struggles continue

For the Utah Jazz, the loss marked their fourth consecutive defeat on the road during their current tour. After dropping three games in California, their Texas stop didn’t bring relief. Despite a 20-point halftime lead fueled by Lauri Markkanen—who led all scorers—Utah crumbled in the final 20 minutes.

Head coach Will Hardy’s frustration was palpable, as his team squandered its advantage. Poor perimeter defense and lackluster shooting efficiency plagued both sides, but San Antonio maintained composure when it mattered most, securing the win.

Around the NBA: close contests define the night

Raptors 110, Timberwolves 105
Toronto outlasted Minnesota in a gritty battle, holding their ground in crunch time.

Hornets 123, Pistons 121
Charlotte edged Detroit in a nail-biter, with a last-minute surge sealing their triumph.

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San Antonio Spurs

Stats

40 Harrison Barnes
30 Julian Champagnie
23 Zach Collins
5 Stephon Castle
3 Chris Paul
28 Charles Bassey
22 Malaki Branham
25 Sidy Cissoko
0 Keldon Johnson
33 Tre Jones
54 Sandro Mamukelashvili
14 Blake Wesley
7 David Duke Jr.
55 Harrison Ingram
27 Riley Minix

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
40 Harrison Barnes	36	25	10	5	5	1	0	0	0	5/6	4/8	4/5	0	1	0
30 Julian Champagnie	32	14	3	0	3	6	1	3	1	4/5	2/4	2/7	0	1	0
23 Zach Collins	20	18	5	1	4	0	3	0	1	6/8	6/7	0/2	0	5	0
5 Stephon Castle	34	18	3	0	3	6	2	1	1	5/5	5/11	1/3	0	0	0
3 Chris Paul	30	13	5	0	5	10	1	2	0	4/4	3/3	1/6	0	1	0
28 Charles Bassey	27	11	9	5	4	1	1	1	6	1/2	5/9	0/0	0	5	0
22 Malaki Branham	7	3	3	0	3	2	1	1	0	0/0	0/2	1/3	0	2	0
25 Sidy Cissoko	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Keldon Johnson	28	12	8	0	8	4	1	0	0	4/6	4/6	0/3	0	2	0
33 Tre Jones	17	11	3	0	3	2	1	0	0	5/8	3/5	0/1	0	3	0
54 Sandro Mamukelashvili	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
14 Blake Wesley	4	1	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	1/2	0/1	0/2	0	0	0
7 David Duke Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
55 Harrison Ingram	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
27 Riley Minix	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Utah Jazz

Stats

22 Kyle Filipowski
23 Lauri Markkanen
20 John Collins
3 Keyonte George
2 Collin Sexton
13 Isaiah Collier
15 Drew Eubanks
33 Johnny Juzang
8 Patty Mills
19 Svi Mykhailiuk
28 Brice Sensabaugh
5 Cody Williams
25 Micah Potter
34 Oscar Tshiebwe

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
22 Kyle Filipowski	18	4	9	3	6	1	0	0	0	2/2	1/5	0/1	0	3	0
23 Lauri Markkanen	33	27	4	3	1	2	0	0	2	8/8	5/7	3/10	0	3	0
20 John Collins	32	18	14	3	11	3	1	1	1	1/1	7/9	1/5	0	4	0
3 Keyonte George	33	19	2	0	2	5	3	1	0	4/4	3/6	3/12	0	3	0
2 Collin Sexton	24	18	1	1	0	1	3	1	0	6/7	6/10	0/3	0	1	0
13 Isaiah Collier	23	4	3	0	3	6	5	0	0	2/4	1/6	0/2	0	5	0
15 Drew Eubanks	21	4	6	0	6	2	1	0	2	0/0	2/3	0/0	0	4	0
33 Johnny Juzang	16	6	2	1	1	1	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	2/4	0	1	0
8 Patty Mills	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
19 Svi Mykhailiuk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
28 Brice Sensabaugh	22	18	6	1	5	1	0	0	1	0/0	3/6	4/7	0	2	0
5 Cody Williams	14	0	2	0	2	0	1	0	1	0/0	0/1	0/1	0	3	0
25 Micah Potter	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
34 Oscar Tshiebwe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0