Spurs hit 60 wins

San Antonio spent nine years without touching 60 wins. On April 6, the Spurs got there anyway, beating Philadelphia 115-102 for their first 60-win season since 2016-17. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) That number is rare in San Antonio because even the franchise’s long Tim Duncan era treated 60 like a special season, not a routine one. The last Spurs team to hit it was the 2016-17 group that finished 61-21 before this year’s roster brought the mark back. (nba.com) (espn.com) The current Spurs are not just good by recent San Antonio standards. NBA.com’s standings list them at 60-19 and second in the Western Conference, behind only the 62-16 Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com) That seed matters because the regular season ends on April 12 and the playoff bracket locks in right after that. The National Basketball Association says the play-in tournament runs April 14 through April 17, and the first round starts April 18. (nba.com) So San Antonio’s 60th win landed at exactly the moment teams start choosing between two priorities: pushing for home-court advantage or protecting tired bodies. The Spurs still had three regular-season games left as of April 8: Portland on April 8, Dallas on April 10, and Denver on April 12. (nba.com) That is where the celebration got complicated. Victor Wembanyama left the Philadelphia game with a left rib contusion and did not return for the second half. (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com) A rib contusion is a deep bruise, which sounds small until you remember that every jump, box-out, and hard breath hits the same spot again. ESPN reported that San Antonio ruled Wembanyama out for the second half on April 6 because of that left rib contusion. (espn.com) The early update was mixed but not catastrophic. By April 8, Yahoo Sports reported that Wembanyama was doubtful for the Portland game, which usually means the team expects him to miss at least that night while it watches how the pain responds. (sports.yahoo.com) San Antonio’s ability to bank win No. 60 without him on the floor for the second half also said something about the rest of the roster. The Associated Press game recap on ESPN said Stephon Castle finished with 17 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in the win over Philadelphia. (espn.com) That matters because the Spurs of the last few years were usually built around promise, not depth. Yahoo’s postgame report noted that Devin Vassell had lived through San Antonio’s 22-60 seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, which makes this jump from rebuilding to 60 wins look even steeper. (sports.yahoo.com) Wembanyama is still the center of the whole picture. NBA.com listed him at 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists entering the Denver game preview on April 4, numbers that explain why a rib bruise can change how opponents see the bracket. (nba.com) So the Spurs head into the final week with two truths sitting side by side. They have 60 wins for the first time since 2017 and one of the West’s top two records, but their most important player walked out of their biggest regular-season milestone with a sore left side. (nba.com) (espn.com)