The San Antonio Spurs will look to parlay the momentum from a runner-up finish in the NBA Cup and a healthy roster into continued success when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
The Spurs head home for a brief respite after a 124-113 loss to New York on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final in Las Vegas. Rookie Dylan Harper scored a team-high 21 points off the bench for the Spurs while Victor Wembanyama added 18 points in a reserve role while being limited to 25 minutes in his second contest after missing 12 games due to a calf injury.
De’Aaron Fox had 16 points and nine assists in the setback, with Stephon Castle racking up 15 points and 12 assists and Luke Kornet hitting for 14 points for San Antonio.
The Spurs led by 11 points late in the third quarter but were frazzled in the final period, shooting just 26.3% (5 of 19) from the floor and being outscored 35-19 over the last 12 minutes.
“We struggled more as a team and we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, which hurt us getting out in transition,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “There were just a couple times we got a little bit in a rush or in a hurry when we didn’t play with the appropriate pace, with the right spacing or the right tempo.”
Because the NBA Cup final result does not count in the season standings, San Antonio will carry a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s clash. The Spurs, who had captured 10 of their past 13 outings before Tuesday, learned from the playoff intensity of the NBA Cup.
“It is the best practice for important games because our focus is already on the playoffs,” Wembanyama said. “The playoffs are going to be the biggest time of year. I guess it is good we got this experience today.”
After Thursday’s game, the Spurs will play three of their next four on the road.
The Wizards travel to the Alamo City on the heels of a 108-89 victory at Indiana on Sunday that snapped a four-game losing streak. Washington has won three times in its past eight outings but still has the worst record in the league (4-20).
Marvin Bagley III amassed 23 points and 14 rebounds — both season highs — in the win. CJ McCollum finished with 18 points, rookie Tre Johnson hit for 14 points in 16 minutes off the bench and fellow 2025 draft pick Will Riley added another 12 points in reserve duty. Justin Champagnie collected 13 points and 14 rebounds and Bub Carrington added 11 points for Washington.
The balanced offensive production was impressive, but defense won the game as the Wizards held the Pacers to 36.9% shooting (31 of 84) from the floor.
The 89 points were the fewest scored by a Washington opponent since Memphis was limited to 87 in a November 2021 game. Sunday’s win also marked the first game in this season that Washington held an opponent to less than 100 points.
“We played good, steady basketball, making the right simple play,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “It was by far our defense, the ability to keep them out of the paint. Our activity, our rebounding, especially in the second half — that’s why we won the game. It was a great effort by everybody.
“Our guys were communicating where the help was, which is big for our activity level,” the coach added. “All five guys were engaged. Still early, but everybody’s chemistry is growing.”
Thursday’s matchup is the first of two games between the teams in four days — they will play again on Sunday in Washington.
–Field Level Media
