Key Highlights
- The San Antonio Spurs have won 11 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
- Paolo Wembanyama is averaging 22.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks during this streak.
- Seven Spurs are scoring in double figures, with Harrison Barnes contributing significantly from beyond the arc.
- The team’s three-guard lineup has been particularly effective, outscoring opponents by 31 points per game.
The Rise of San Antonio Spurs: A Force to Be Reckoned With
After cruising past the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday to finish February without a loss, the San Antonio Spurs have now won an impressive 11 straight games. That’s the longest active winning streak in the NBA and just the third double-digit roll this season. The other two teams leading their respective conferences are the Detroit Pistons and the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Paolo Wembanyama: The Pillar of Success
The big fella is averaging 22.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.4 steals in 29.3 minutes per game during the winning streak. He’s been a force down low, shooting 67% in the lane and scoring 1.22 points per paint touch. Opponents are shooting just 46% on 2-point shots with Wembanyama on the floor, more than six percentage points below what the NBA’s worst inside-the-arc-shooting offenses have managed during the full season.
Between San Antonio’s surge and Oklahoma City hovering just above .500 over the last month and a half amid a raft of injuries, the Thunder’s lead over the Spurs for the West’s No. 1 seed is down to just two games, with San Antonio holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Three-Guard Formula
No Spur is averaging more than 30 minutes per game during the winning streak. Seven Spurs are scoring in double figures; an eighth, Harrison Barnes, is kicking in 9.2 points in 22.8 minutes per game, shooting 41.8% from 3-point range on just under five attempts per contest.
When sixth-year swingman Devin Vassell returned to the lineup at the end of January, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson shuffled up his starting five, and so far, it’s been a winning formula. The team is now 9-1 in games started by that lineup, which has outscored opponents by 31 points in 101 minutes in those 10 games.
The Point-Five Basketball Philosophy
Within a half-second of getting the ball, you need to be shooting it, passing it or driving it. For the season, San Antonio ranks 11th in offensive possessions per game finished following a dribble handoff, 10th in drives to the basket per game and eighth in trips that end with a spot-up shot. The Spurs have outscored opponents by 179 points in the 323 minutes Wembanyama has played during the streak – far and away the highest plus-minus in the NBA in February.
Many hands make light work, and for the Spurs, it’s been a collective effort. Whether that stays true in the playoffs remains to be seen, particularly if key players like Fox, Castle and Harper struggle from long range during postseason defenses hell-bent on packing the paint to limit Wembanyama.
Conclusion
The San Antonio Spurs are not just a team on a roll; they’re a team that’s finding ways to control what they can control in the possession game virtually across the board. It’s a testament to their versatility and depth, with every player contributing in their unique way. As the playoffs loom, the question remains: Can this balanced, well-oiled machine hold its own against the league’s top teams?