The San Antonio Spurs entered the schedule release already carrying the kind of expectations that only come with real success. They went from 34 wins two seasons ago to 62 last year, and now the conversation is no longer about whether they can be good. It’s about just how far this group can push the bar again.
A glance at the 82-game slate suggests there’s a path to another huge year.
The first month is friendly enough to matter. San Antonio opens at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a highly anticipated conference finals rematch, then stays home for its second game against the Houston Rockets.
Eight days later, the Minnesota Timberwolves come to town. A week after that, the Spurs get back-to-back home games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns.
On November 17, they host the Detroit Pistons, and a little more than a week later, they’re back in Portland.
That matters because, through the first 37 days of the season, San Antonio will have played just seven games against teams that reached the playoffs last season. Two of those are against Portland, the same Blazers team the Spurs beat in last year’s first round in five games, with their lone loss coming in the game Victor Wembanyama did not play.
So yes, a fast start looks possible. It also looks likely.
That early run covers 19 games. Even if the Spurs drop four of the seven matchups against playoff teams and lose a couple more along the way, they’d still be sitting at 12-7. That would be a pretty modest estimate for a team with this kind of talent.
From there, the schedule gets tougher, as it always does. But San Antonio should still be set up to put together another long surge at some point. They’re simply too strong not to.
Last season’s big run came in February, when they ripped off 11 straight wins. The New York Knicks ended it on the first day of March, and that finish ended up feeling like a glimpse of what was ahead.
This year, the Spurs have another window for a streak. One stretch comes after Christmas and runs into late January, with games against the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and both the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans twice. None of the other opponents in that span are the Thunder, Knicks, Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers.
And the final two weeks could be just as telling. San Antonio closes with the Cavaliers and Nuggets, but the rest of that stretch is built around the Sacramento Kings, Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Suns twice. If the Spurs have something real on the line, like the top seed in the West, that finishing kick could be every bit as dangerous as the opening burst.
Put it together, and the shape of the season looks clear: a strong start, a big middle, and a finish that could bring the whole thing home.
Regular season prediction: 64-18.
In Other News...
Billy Donovan Gives Spurs Coaching Staff Something Mitch Johnson Needed
The Spurs have added a familiar kind of stabilizer to Mitch Johnsons first staff, bringing in Billy Donovan as lead assistant for the 2026-27 season. With Sean Sweeney gone to Orlando, San Antonio needed an experienced hand alongside a younger head coach, and Donovan fits the bill with a rsum built across both the NBA and college ranks. For a team trying to keep its footing while continuing to build something durable, that matters.
Gregg Popovich and the rest of the staff see Donovan as more than just a veteran name. His presence gives Johnson another voice with credibility, perspective and a long view of how to organize a room, which is especially valuable for a coaching staff trying to reinforce its culture as it takes shape. The move also says plenty about where San Antonio wants its bench headed, even if the full impact of Donovans arrival wont be measured until the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Hold This Edge Over Minnesota After A Big Summer
Even after a busy summer on both sides, San Antonio still has the upper hand in the latest eye test. Bleacher Reports new NBA power rankings put the Spurs second, three spots ahead of Minnesota, a reminder that the league still views Victor Wembanyamas team as one of the top groups in the conference after another round of roster shuffling.
Minnesota made its own noise by adding Tobias Harris and landing Jonathan Kuminga, but the Spurs offseason also came with meaningful stability, most notably Wembanyamas rookie-scale extension. That gives San Antonio a stronger long view than most teams can claim this time of year, even as the Timberwolves keep pushing to close the gap and make the rankings look outdated before long. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Got Pulled Into A Stephen Curry Debate Fans Will Feel
Stephen Jackson threw a familiar kind of offseason grenade on his podcast, suggesting the Spurs could pry Stephen Curry away from Golden State by building a package around De'Aaron Fox, one of their first-round picks and other draft assets. It is the kind of idea that instantly gets attention because it ties San Antonio to a legend, but it also lands in a very real roster conversation for a team still sorting out its long-term direction and salary structure.
There is, of course, a giant gap between a hot-take trade framework and anything that could actually happen. Curry is due to reach free agency next summer unless the Warriors lock him in first, and he would be eligible for a massive extension before then, which only raises the stakes around how far this speculation can go. For the Spurs, it is the sort of dream scenario that forces fans to think about what they would even be willing to sacrifice for one of the sport's biggest names. [Read more 🡒]