San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
DENVER — Victor Wembanyama set the bar. His Spurs teammates had little choice but to try and clear it.
After the Spurs won their 50th game of the season a little more than two weeks ago, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115 on their home floor, Wembanyama made clear he was gunning for a different round number.
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“I want to win 60,” Wembanyama said then.
Back in the Intuit Dome on Thursday, this time with Wembanyama in street clothes caretaking a sore right ankle, the Spurs reeled off a 118-99 victory over the Clippers that pulled them one step closer to their All-Star center’s newest stated goal.
With the Spurs’ record now at 59-18, 60 wins no longer feel like a pie-in-the-sky aspiration.
It feels like a formality.
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Saturday in Denver, the Spurs take their first shot at the eighth 60-win season in franchise history. Failing that, they close the regular season with a four-game homestand that should provide fertile ground to hit that hallowed number.
“We know what the main goal is, and that’s getting prepared for the playoffs,” forward Keldon Johnson said. “Each game, we get a chance to lock in and get better. We don’t take the opportunity for granted.”
Thanks to Thursday’s short-handed victory against the Clippers, the Spurs head to Denver on an 11-game winning streak that matches their longest of the season.
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It was a streak that seemed ripe to end in Los Angeles.
Instead, the Spurs walked into the Intuit Dome with their leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker sidelined and nevertheless beat the pants off a team they could quite possibly face in the first round of the playoffs.
“It just shows how serious we are about all this,” forward Julian Champagnie said. “We’re going to be locked in with or without the big fella. I think it shows the depth of the team that we can win these games without him.”
Before Thursday’s game, Clippers coach Ty Lue tried to remind his team of the challenge at hand, even with the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 centerpiece on the bench in loafers.
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“They’re a good team even when Wemby is not playing,” Lue said.
Over the ensuing 48 minutes, the Spurs made that a point to prove. An All-Star in his own right, De’Aaron Fox got the Spurs started early Thursday on his way to 22 points. Stephon Castle took over late on his way to 20.
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The Spurs went ahead by 26 points one possession into the second half, eventually improving to 21-0 this season when leading by at least 25.
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Even without Wembanyama, the NBA’s presumptive Defensive Player of the Year, the Spurs made the Clippers their third opponent in five games to fail to reach 100 points.
“It was a very satisfying effort by a lot of people on our team,” coach Mitch Johnson said.
For the Spurs, it wasn’t just a victory.
It was the kind of outing that might be remembered by both teams should they meet again in 2 ½ weeks.
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“You try to have as many statement wins as you can,” Fox said.
Thursday’s game was one. Now, the Spurs head to Denver with a chance to earn another one.
By record, the 49-28 Nuggets are the best team remaining on the Spurs’ schedule. They face Denver twice over the final five games — once Saturday and once in the regular-season finale April 12 in San Antonio.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, below, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, below, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller, top, takes a loose ball away from San Antonio Spurs guard De’aaron Fox during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez, left, reaches in on San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
The Nuggets have only had their power trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon healthy for 23 games this season. Denver is 17-6 in those contests.
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All three are expected to be available Saturday. Of course, so too is Wembanyama.
The Spurs have shown they can win without the 7-foot-4 force of nature, going 11-5 in his absence this season.
“We knew we weren’t going to have big fella (Thursday), so we knew we needed to stay extra sharp,” Keldon Johnson said. “A lot of guys stepped up and had big moments and big plays.”
For Mitch Johnson, the touchstones over the final two weeks of the season will not sound much different than what they were when all of this began in October.
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He will stress attention to detail in the game plan, transition defense, rebounding, playing with intention and pace.
“We’ve had a good year being us, but it’s still our first journey,” Mitch Johnson said. “We’re not trying to become some exotic version of what we were a few months ago. We just want to continue to be a better version of what we were yesterday.”
If the Spurs accomplish that, many of their other goals will fall into place.
With a win Saturday in Denver, the Spurs can post their longest winning streak of an already surprising season. They would also ring up their 60th victory of the season, a goal that even a month ago might have felt like lunacy.
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The Spurs’ most recent 60-win season came in 2016-17. The club record of 67 wins, set in 2015-16, is mathematically out of reach.
But, if the Spurs are able to run the table over the final five games, they would wind up with 64 wins, the second-most in franchise annals.
“I mean, why not?” Champagnie said.
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After a season spent clearing bars only to set new ones, what is one more?