Interconference teams with drastically different season outlooks go head-to-head Thursday night, as the San Antonio Spurs host the Washington Wizards at the Frost Bank Center.
The Wizards (4–20, 15th East) are coming off a win over the Indiana Pacers for their first road victory in nearly two months, though they still own the NBA’s worst record. The Spurs (18–7, 4th West) recently welcomed Victor Wembanyama back to the lineup and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, but will look to bounce back after a loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup final.
Here’s a look at the Injury Report:
Washington Wizards
- Out: Corey Kispert (Thumb), Khris Middleton (Knee), Malaki Branham (Thumb)
San Antonio Spurs
- TBD
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. San Antonio enters as a staggering 15.5-point home favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Washington is listed as a +700 underdog. The game’s total is set at 240.5 points.
Wizards vs. Spurs Preview
Washington Wizards Preview
The Wizards snapped a four-game slide with a convincing 19-point road win against the Pacers on Sunday afternoon. Marvin Bagley led the way with a 23-point double-double, while Washington’s strong defense held Indiana below 90 points.
Still, a victory over the short-staffed, 6–20 Pacers does little to negate the fact that the Wizards’ road trips have embodied the chaos of a Griswold family vacation. Washington is just 2–11 away from Capital One Arena this season and, before beating Indiana, hadn’t won outside of D.C. since the second game of the season — a victory over an Anthony Davis-less Dallas Mavericks squad.
On the season, the Wizards rank 27th in offensive rating and dead last in both defensive and net rating. The Alex Sarr-led group commits the league’s second-most turnovers while allowing more points, rebounds, and offensive boards than any team in the NBA. Their negative 13.9 plus-minus is the worst mark in the league.
San Antonio Spurs Preview
Typically, a star player’s extended absence throws a team into disarray. For the Spurs, it had the opposite effect.
San Antonio went 9–3 while Victor Wembanyama nursed a calf strain, buoyed by its depth and the smooth, slashing backcourt trio of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and rookie Dylan Harper. Despite missing the French phenom for nearly half the season, the Spurs still boast a near top-five offense in the NBA.
Oh, and now he’s back. With Wembanyama — averaging 25.8 points while leading the league with 12.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game — back in the mix, San Antonio handed OKC just its second loss of the season to advance to the NBA Cup final. Though they fell short in Las Vegas, the Spurs now look to bounce back at home, where they haven’t lost in over a month (9–2).
Wizards vs. Spurs Pick, Best Bet
While the Wizards have found some recent success on the road, they’re likely to run into a pothole when they roll into San Antonio. The Spurs are fast, deep, and anchored by a generational talent — an ideal recipe against one of the NBA’s weakest teams.
Expect San Antonio to bounce back from its Cup loss by defending home court in dominant fashion, comfortably covering the 15.5-point spread against Washington on Thursday night.
