Three seasons ago, the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons faced off on January 6th. At the time, the winner of the game was actually considered the loser. Both teams were on a downward slide and playing to increase their lottery odds for the ultimate prize, the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama. Now, after two incredible turnarounds by these historic NBA franchises, they meet for the first time this season, looking to secure top seeding in their respective conferences.

Detroit holds the best record in the NBA, and San Antonio has the third. Both teams have a top-five defense and a top-ten offense. They are led by two of the best young players in the NBA, in Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham. In many ways, this is shaping up to be one of the best East vs. West rivalries for the foreseeable future. Monday will be the first of many battles between these two in the years to come.

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San Antonio and Detroit are similar teams on the court, too. Both have dominant paint big men in Wembanyama and Jalen Duren, athletic wings like Stephon Castle and Ausar Thompson, and good lead guards like De’Aaron Fox and Cade Cunningham. They lock down the paint and use their athleticism on the perimeter to take chances and create turnovers.

San Antonio is on an eight-game winning streak and is nipping at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s heels for the top seed in the West. Beating Detroit on the road would be another statement victory for the up-and-coming Spurs.

February 23rd, 2026 | 6 PM CTWatch: Peacock| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Stanley Umude – Out (G League), David Jones-Garcia – Out (G League), Mason Plumlee – Out (conditioning), Lindy Waters III – Questionable (knee)

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Pistons Injuries: Isaiah Stewart – Out (suspension), Isaac Jones – Out (G League), Bobi Klintman – Out (G League), Chaz Lanier – Out (G League), Wendell Moore Jr. – Out (G League)

What to watch for:Cade vs. Wemby

Surface-level analysis here: the Pistons and Spurs will go as far as Cunningham and Wembanyama take them. That will be true again on Monday night. Cunningham is Detroit’s offensive engine. He’s one of the best scorers and passers in the NBA. He has great floor vision and, at 6-foot-6, the size to make plays in the paint. His one weakness is that he isn’t an elite three-point shooter, hitting just 33.8% from deep this season. Expect Castle to get the Cunningham assignment and hound him on drives and in the pick-and-roll.

On the other end, Wembanyama will likely have to contend with Duren, a sturdy big body in the middle. Wembanyama has found a lot of success against opposing big men this season, and has sometimes struggled against smaller, more agile defenders. For that reason, we could see Thompson guarding San Antonio’s big man to keep him from establishing a rhythm.

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Winning a mud fight

The Pistons are one of the most physical teams in the NBA, living up to the franchise’s identity. The Spurs have dealt with their fair share of big, tough teams. Wins against the Houston Rockets prove what San Antonio can do when they make the other team feel their presence. This game could very well come down to which team can assert its physical will. San Antonio has a shot, even against a tough team like Detroit, but they’ll have to stay locked in for 48 minutes to make it happen.

Managing the possession battle

Detroit is great at securing extra possessions. They are first in the NBA in steals (10.6 per game), opponent turnovers (17.4 per game), and fourth in offensive rebounds (13.1 per game). The Spurs have gotten much better at securing the boards (3rd in the NBA in rebounding) and taking care of the ball (5th in the league in turnovers per game), but like we saw on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings, they can have stretches of mental lapses. So can the Pistons, who are 23rd in the NBA in turnovers (15.2 a game). The Spurs will need to take care of the ball, win the battle on the glass, and take advantage of Detroit’s mistakes to give themselves an edge.