Spurs look to get back on track against 76ers following tough loss in Denver: What to know

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs’ 11-game win streak came to end Saturday at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, who celebrated their now-league best 8th straight win.

The Spurs have won 16 of their last 18 games. Their two losses? Both against these Nuggets.

Victor Wembanyama, however, thought the loss was, while tough, ultimately a good thing for San Antonio.

“I wish we could have closed it out, and my conclusion of this game is it is good for us,” Wembanyama said after the game. “Everything that happened is good for us.”

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And with four games left in the regular season, it could prove beneficial for the Spurs — who largely lack playoff experience, especially among their young core — to have a playoff-like loss to learn from. 

The biggest matchup in the Nuggets game was Wemby vs. 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. This was the first matchup between the two centers this season after Wembanyama sat out the team’s previous two battles.

There aren’t many players who outperform Wembanyama on an NBA court these days, but the Joker isn’t like many players.

Wembanyama put up a great stat line of 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven asissts and five blocks shooting 8-of-17 from the field, 2-of-6 from the 3-point line and 16-of-17 from the free throw line as a 7’4″ center. On most hardwood courts, that would be the standout line.

Jokic’s statline? Forty points, eight rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks. He shot 13-of-25 from the field, 1-of-5 from the 3-point line and 13-of-15 from the free throw line. His most important bucket: a fadeaway 2-pointer over Wemby late in the fourth quarter, something many players can’t even think about doing.

Jokic also got the win, which for a lot of people is all that matters.

Nera the end of a campaign that has seen the Spurs — and Wembanyama — outperform so many team and members of the NBA’s elite, Jokic has emerged as the hooper who has regularly outperformed the Frenchman. 

Here’s every stat line Jokic has had against Wemby in his career:

• Nov. 16, 2023: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists (Win)
• March 15, 2024: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists (Win)
• April 2, 2024: 42 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists (Win)
• April 12, 2024: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists (Loss)
• Jan. 3, 2025: 41 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists (Loss)
• Jan. 4, 2025: 46 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists (Win)
• Saturday: 40 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists (Win)

Jokic is 5-2 against Wemby in his career, averaging 37.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists in those games. His last three games have all featured scoring outbursts of 40-plus points. 

And to be clear, Wemby hasn’t been bad in those games either.

Wemby’s stat lines vs Jokic in his career:

• Nov. 26, 2023: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks (Loss)
• March 15, 2024: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks (Loss)
• April 2, 2024: 23 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 9 blocks (Loss)
• April 12, 2024: 34 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists (Win)
• Jan. 3, 2025: 35 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists (Win)
• Jan 4, 2025: 20 points, 23 rebounds, 3 assists (Loss)
• Saturday: 34 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks (Loss)

Wemby is averaging 26.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 blocks a game against Jokic. However, he is 2-5, with a lot of those games being when the Spurs were rebuilding.

The Spurs’ last game of the regular season will be against these Nuggets, so San Antonio has a shot at revenge right before the playoffs starts.

And who knows, maybe they’ll play four to seven more games in following weeks.

As for San Antonio’s next matchup, they’ll possibly be playing another former MVP center in Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s been an up-and-down year for the 76ers, defined by injuries and suspensions, specifically to Embiid and Paul George. Embiid has only played 37 games in this campaign, averaging 26.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in those games.

George has only played 33 games, averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his second year in Philly. He missed 25 earlier this season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.

Despite not having both of them for the majority of the season, the Sixers are 43-35 and seated at the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference entering Sunday, a half-game behind the No. 6 seeded Raptors. They’ve been led by a career year from Tyrese Maxey, who’s putting up 28.6 points and 6.7 assists a game.

A strong end to the season could see Philadelphia rise as high as the fifth seed.

In their way are the Spurs, who will be motivated to bounce back from the tough loss in Denver. It’ll be another battle between two of the best centers in the league as Embiid is expected to play after sitting out last game.

Speaking of Embiid, the 2022-23 MVP has only played Wemby twice in his career.

The first matchup is one Spurs fans may still be trying to forget: a career-high 70-point outing for Embiid en route to a 133-123 Philadelphia win on Jan. 22, 2024. The Spurs were a completely different team back then though, having a record of 8-35 compared to Philly’s 29-13 mark. 

Wembanyama put up 33 points and seven rebounds that game.

The second matchup resulted in Embiid being ejected early on, after scoring just nine points in 14 minutes on Dec. 23, 2024. Philadelphia still won that game, 111-106, despite Wembanyama’s 26 points and nine rebounds.

So while the sample size isn’t close to being massive or complete for that matter, Embiid has shown he can take advantage of Wembanyama; albeit that version of Wemby isn’t nearly the player this version is.

The Spurs and 76ers have played only once this year in early March, which resulted in the largest win of the season for San Antonio, 131-91. Wemby only scored 10 in that game, but didn’t really need to do much as San Antonio pulled away early.

George and Embiid are both expected to play this time around, but something tells me the Spurs will be looking for blood after the loss in Denver. Not many teams probably want to be their next opponent. 

The game will be televised FanDuel Southwest at 7 p.m. CST. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350. 

• POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (24.9), De’Aaron Fox (18.5), Stephon Castle (16.7)
• REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.6), Luke Kornet (6.1), Julian Champagnie (5.8)
• ASSISTS: Castle (7.3), Fox (6.2), Dylan Harper (3.9)
• BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.1), Kornet (1.0), Champagnie (0.4)

• POINTS: Tyrese Maxey (28.6), Joel Embiid (26.7 in 37 games), Paul George (17.8 in 33 games)
• REBOUNDS: Andre Drummond (8.2), Embiid (7.6), V.J. Edgecombe (5.5)
• ASSISTS: Maxey (6.7), Edgecombe (4.1), Embiid (4.0)
• BLOCKS: Adem Bona (1.2), Embiid (1.1), Maxey (0.8)

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

• Cameron Payne – Out (Hamstring)
• Johni Broome – Out (Knee)

1. Philadelphia is 24-13 when Joel Embiid plays this year. When both Embiid and George play, they’re 13-10.
2. The 76ers make 20.2 free throws a game, fifth-most in the league. They also shoot 81.1% from the line, fourth-best.
3. Philly averages the third-fewest assists, with only 24.8 a game.
4. The 76ers are tied for second in blocks per game, at 5.8.
5. The biggest lead for the Spurs in their last game against the 76ers was 49 points.