As we prepare ourselves to cheer on the Spurs for another 82-game season, the guys must ready themselves for nonstop war. The rigors of the long campaign can be unforgiving, but there are always gauntlets more intimidating than others. San Antonio has three such stretches, and how they perform in them will go a long way to determining where they'll finish in the vaunted Western Conference.
The Spurs' three toughest stretches of the 2025-26 season
January's 7-game stretch:
(1/6) Memphis Grizzlies, (1/7) Los Angeles Lakers, (1/10) Boston Celtics, (1/11) Minnesota Timberwolves, (1/13) OKC, (1/15) Milwaukee Bucks, (1/17) Minnesota Timberwolves
February's 5-game stretch:
(2/4) Oklahoma City Thunder, (2/5) Dallas Mavericks, (2/7) Dallas Mavericks, (2/10) Los Angeles Lakers, (2/11) Golden State Warriors
March's 7-game stretch:
(3/1) New York Knicks, (3/3) Philadelphia 76ers, (3/5) Detroit Pistons, (3/6) LA Clippers, (3/8) Houston Rockets, (3/10) Boston Celtics, (3/12) Denver Nuggets
There's not too much to explain here for the seven games highlighted in January. You know who these teams are. They all have one superstar or more with good teams around them. The Spurs have struggled to beat the Grizzlies for years now. The Lakers have an in-shape Luka Doncic leading them with LeBron James coming back for what feels like his 37th year.
We don't know what version of James will show up. He is an elder statesman now, but the man can still play. You can anticipate that they'll work much better together after an offseason of work. The Celtics are down Jayson Tatum, but Jaylen Brown is still there, and despite the trades they've made, that's a deep squad.
As if it isn't hard enough, there will be two back-to-backs during this group of games. These will all be tough, and the Silver and Black need to emerge with a 4-3 record at the very least.
February's challenge isn't any easier, just a tad shorter. We should be thankful, because an OKC/Warriors sandwich with two slices of the Mavericks and another Lakers game in the middle is going to be tough to chew. San Antonio has struggled to beat their North Texas rivals for years. They're 2-8 in the last 10 matchups.
The March set is the worst of them all, depending on one thing: his name is Joel Embiid. There is just no way to tell whether he'll be healthy enough to play. It's also the first game of a back-to-back, and he's said he'll never play in those ever again, so if the team decides that he's better off playing against Utah the following night, it's a relief.
If he's in the game, the Spurs will be dealing with Jalen Brunson, Embiid, Cade Cunningham, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, and Nikola Jokic in consecutive games. The season will be difficult enough without faltering for long stretches, and these sets could teeter the year in the wrong direction. The Spurs must avoid snowballing at all costs to achieve their goal of making the postseason.