60-win Spurs could be without Wemby against Portland in possible first-round playoffs preview: What to know

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama’s status for Wednesday’s game could impact more than just the Spurs’ lineup—it could determine his eligibility for major NBA awards.

In San Antonio’s 60th win of the season Monday, Wemby suffered a left rib contusion, resulting in him leaving the game right before halftime. Stephon Castle also left for a while with a knee injury before returning.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Wemby was listed as “doubtful” to play against the Blazers as of Tuesday afternoon. However, he also reported the Spurs are confident the All-Star will play at least one of the team’s final three regular-season games.

Against the 76ers, Wemby played only 16 minutes but scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots. It’s safe to say he was well on his way to another big performance as he remains in the MVP race.

Someone who was also playing well in the first half was 76ers center Joel Embiid. When the buzzer sounded for halftime, Embiid had 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots. It was shaping up to be a great matchup between two of the league’s best players.

With Wemby sitting for the second half, Embiid finished the game with 34 points and 12 rebounds. It was the second straight game between the two where one of the centers didn’t finish the game. The last matchup, on Dec. 23, 2024, resulted in Embiid being ejected early after scoring just nine points in 14 minutes.

The Spurs got the last laugh Monday night though, as San Antonio brought home the 115-102 win, led by Castle’s fifth triple-double of the season (sixth-most in the league) to secure the team’s first 60-win campaign since 2016-17.

The big story coming out Monday’s game remains Wembanyama’s health.

CBS Sports currently has Wemby at 64 games, counting the NBA Cup, with three games to go, meaning he needs to play in one of those matchups to meet the league’s 65-game eligibility standard for year-end awards.  

While the injury isn’t expected to be serious, his status is still up in the air as to whether he’s good enough to play.

If he doesn’t play the league-mandated 65 games, the year-end narrative shifts. Wembanyama is expected to finish at least top-three in MVP voting, which would mean he would make his first All-NBA team in his career. He’s also the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year for the first time; if he’s ineligible, a completely different player would win that award.

Wemby isn’t the first player to possibly face problems with this new rule.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, one of the best guards in the league who led the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the East, only played 61 games. That means he doesn’t qualify for any award despite being the best player on the best team in that conference. 

Luka Doncic of the Lakers was one game away from satisfying the 65-game rule before going down with a regular season-ending hamstring injury. Doncic is leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points a game while also leading the Lakers to a top-five seed in the loaded West. Despite this, he was one game off from possibly winning the MVP award.

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is another example. He suited up for only 60 games and was averaging almost 30 points on a top-seeded Timberwolves team.

So Wemby isn’t the only player possibly being affected by this rule. But it could impact him even more than others given that he’s essentially a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year honors. He’s averaging 3.1 blocks per game this season, far more than Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, who is second with 1.6. 

While Cunningham, Doncic and Edwards are all MVP candidates, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are ultimately the favorites to bring home that award.

With Wemby or not, the Spurs have to move on to play the 40-39 Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

Portland has been a pleasant surprise this year, led by first-time All-Star Deni Avdija. They’re currently the No. 9 seed in the West with a chance to move as far up as the No. 7 seed.

Avdija is currently averaging 24 points, seven rebounds and 6.7 assists a game, and is currently in the running for the Most Improved Player award. Also playing well is Shaedon Sharpe, who is averaging 21.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Donovan Clingan is also impressing, putting up 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game.

The Spurs and Blazers have split the season series so far, 1-1. Ironically, Wemby didn’t play in either of those games.

The first matchup was a 115-102 San Antonio win in a Nov. 26 NBA Cup game. Castle, also listed as doubtful for Wednesday, didn’t play in that game either.

Without two of their best players, De’Aaron Fox led the way with a season-high 37 points along with eight assists en route to a Spurs win.

So the Spurs have proven they can beat these Blazers without Wemby and Castle before.

However, the Blazers did win the last game on Jan. 3, 115-110. Avdija scored 29 and Clingan had 24. On the Spurs’ side, Luke Kornet, starting in place of Wemby, led the team in scoring with 23.

While the season series is split, the Spurs haven’t been at full strength in either of those games.

And with Portland possibly being a first-round matchup, it’s unclear how San Antonio will play in a seven-game series against these Blazers, especially if Wemby misses the third and final regular-season matchup.

But with the playoffs clearly in sight, a win against a possible playoff foe without Wemby and Castle could prove advantageous for the Spurs going forward.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. CST Tuesday. You can also catch it on FanDuel Southwest. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350. 

• POINTS: Victor Wembanyama* (24.8), De’Aaron Fox (18.4), Stephon Castle* (16.8)
• REBOUNDS: Wembanyama* (11.5), Luke Kornet (6.1), Julian Champagnie (5.8)
• ASSISTS: Castle* (7.4), Fox (6.1), Dylan Harper (3.9)
• BLOCKS: Wembanyama* (3.1), Kornet (1.0), Champagnie (0.4)

Trail Blazers

• POINTS: Deni Avdija (24.0), Shaedon Sharpe* (21.4), Jerami Grant (18.6)
• REBOUNDS: Donovan Clingan (11.6), Avdija (7.0), Robert Williams (6.9)
• ASSISTS: Avdija (6.7), Jrue Holiday (6.2), Scoot Henderson (3.8)
• BLOCKS: Clingan (1.7), Williams (1.5), Avdija (0.6)

As of Tuesday night, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:

• Victor Wembanyama – Doubtful (Ribs)
• Stephon Castle – Doubtful (Knee)

Trail Blazers

• Shaedon Sharpe – Doubtful (Calf)
• Jerami Grant – Out (Calf)
• Vit Krejci – Doubtful (Calf)

1. Deni Avdija is averaging 33 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in two games against San Antonio this season.
2. The Spurs are 11-5 this season without Wemby.
3. Portland shoots the third-most three-pointers in the league, at 42.3 attempts a game. However, they have the third-worst field goal percentage downtown, making just 14.5 of those attempts on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc.
4. Donovan Clingan is third in the league in rebounding, grabbing 11.6 a game, right above Wemby’s 11.5. As a team, the Blazers are the second-best offensive rebounding team in the league, pulling down 14.1 rebounds after misses a game.
5. Portland leads the league in turnovers a game, giving it away 16.6 times a game.