Luke Kornet could start once again (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs return to South Texas tonight to host the Washington Wizards at the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs have played their last six games on the road, with the previous two contests taking place in Las Vegas as part of the NBA Cup.
While the Silver and Black made it to the NBA Cup final, they ended up losing to the New York Knicks. Stephon Castle and others played well (see the Final Grades) but the Knicks dominated the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Technically, the Spurs have won three straight games and have a record of 18-7. The loss against the Knicks didn’t count toward their regular season record. Additionally, none of the statistics accumulated in that contest count toward the players’ season stats.
While the Spurs are tied for the third seed in the Western Conference, the Wizards are at the bottom of the league. At 4-20, Washington has the NBA’s worst record. They are getting outscored by 13.9 points per game, making them statistically one of the worst teams in league history.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
While the Spurs lost the NBA Cup final, the good news is that San Antonio is actually completely healthy right now. The only remaining limitation is a possible minutes restriction on Victor Wembanyama. Against the Knicks, Wembanyama was limited to 25 minutes.
Tonight’s game against the Wizards will be only the third game all season that Wembanyama, Fox, Castle and Harper are active and available to play.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
We can confidently say that head coach Mitch Johnson will start De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle at the guard positions in addition to Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes at the forward positions.
Who will start at center? That’s a more difficult question to answer. With Wembanyama on a minutes restriction, Johnson has opted to bring him off the bench the last two games. In the Frenchman’s place, Luke Kornet has started at center.
While it’s probable that Wembanyama will come off the bench again tonight, he will undoubtedly return to the starting five sooner than later.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Wizards
The Spurs are favored by 15.5 points and the over/under is 240.5 points. The smart money is on the over. San Antonio will be happy to be back at home and will look to run up the score on the lowly Wizards.