Victor Wembanyama is questionable for this matinee matchup against Charlotte.
SAN ANTONIO — The two teams with the longest active postseason droughts will be playing each other Saturday afternoon in San Antonio.
As of right now, both the Spurs (six seasons without playoff action) and the Hornets (nine seasons) have a chance to end those droughts this season, albeit one team has a better chance than the other.
The Spurs, 48-18, are sitting at the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, seven games above the No. 3-seeded Rockets. They’ve also clinched at least a play-in spot. So, barring a major late-season collapse, the Spurs should make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
The Hornets on the other hand have a rougher road if they want to end their league-high nine-season playoff drought.
Sitting at 34-33, Charlotte is sitting at the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, six games above the No. 11 seed Milwaukee Bucks and 1.5 games behind the No. 9 seed Philadelphia 76ers and No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks.
So if the season ended today, they’d at least make the play-in but would need to win two games in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 8 seed, unless they move ahead the 76ers and Hawks, which is still possible.
Saturday’s game between these two teams is important for both in that regard.
The Hornets are playing some good basketball, having won eight of their last 10 games. They also were on a nine-game win streak earlier in the year, one of those games being a win over the Spurs.
Charlotte won that game 111-106 on Jan. 31. Forward Brandon Miller led the way with 26 points while Collin Sexton, now on the Bulls, had 21 points off the bench. The Hornets’ largest lead of the game was 20 points in the third quarter.
The Spurs were able to come back in the fourth, getting within two points with less than five minutes left. However, it wasn’t enough as Charlotte broke away at the end.
Dylan Harper led the way off the bench for the Spurs, scoring 20 points in 23 minutes shooting 9/13 from the field. It was an off game for everyone else: Victor Wembanyama finished with 16, Stephon Castle with 16, Devin Vassell with 13 and Julian Champagnie with 13.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, is at risk of missing his second straight game. As of Friday evening he was listed as questionable as he deals with ankle soreness.
He didn’t play against Denver on Thursday, and while San Antonio had a great start to the game, they ultimately lost after blowing a 20-point lead without Wemby, ending their five-game win streak.
Notably, Castle had a 30-point triple-double in the loss while De’Aaron Fox had 27 points and nine assists.
Along with Wemby, Harper’s status is also up in the air as he is dealing with a calf injury.
Players to look out for on the Hornets are Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. Knueppel is having one of, if not the best, shooting seasons a rookie has had, hitting 3.5 three pointers a game on 44% shooting. Add 19.2 points a game and 5.3 rebounds and he looks to be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Miller is also having a solid year averaging 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
How to watch
The game will be televised on Prime Video. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders (as of Friday night)
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (24.2), De’Aaron Fox (19.1), Stephon Castle (16.6)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.1), Luke Kornet (6.1), Julian Champagnie (5.8)
- ASSISTS: Castle (7.0), Fox (6.4), Dylan Harper (3.8)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.0), Kornet (1.1), Champagnie (0.4)
- POINTS: Brandon Miller (20.7), LaMelo Ball (19.4), Kon Knueppel (19.2)
- REBOUNDS: Moussa Diabate (8.7), Ryan Kalkbrenner (5.9), Miles Bridges (5.9)
- ASSISTS: Ball (7.2), Coby White (3.6 in seven games), Miller (3.4)
- BLOCKS: Kalkbrenner (1.5), Diabate (1.0), Miller (0.8)
Injury report
Victor Wembanyama is questionable with ankle soreness. Dylan Harper is also questionable with a calf injury.
For the Hornets, Tidjane Salaun (calf) and Liam McNeeley (ankle) are both listed out. Coby White (heel) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (illness) are both questionable.
Five more things to know
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The Hornets hit the second-most three pointers in the league at 16.1 a game. They’re also efficient, shooting 37.9%, third best in the league.
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The Hornets are the fifth-best rebounding team, grabbing 46.2 rebounds a game. The Spurs are right above at third, grabbing 46.4.
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Charlotte only steals the ball 7.1 times a game, second-worst in the league.
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The Spurs and Hornets are the eighth and ninth-best scoring defenses, allowing 111.9 and 112.3 points a game, respectively.
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Since Feb. 1, the Spurs have the best record in the league at 16-2. The Hornets have the fifth-best record, going 12-5.