Since the tip of the NBA season, it feels just like the NBA world has had the San Antonio Spurs on the mind. First, they lucked into the second choose within the draft, deciding on Dylan Harper, which raised questions on their roster building. They then had a fruitful free company interval, buying large man depth with the additions of Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk. Then Victor Wembanyama had a summer time worthy of essentially the most attention-grabbing man within the NBA. Finally, the Spurs went undefeated within the preseason.
All of that hype will fade away when the ball is tipped at 8:30 on Wednesday evening. Now the Spurs will probably be full steam forward, chasing the franchise’s first postseason look in 6 seasons (the longest drought within the Western Conference). The staff’s famous person has made it clear that it’s playoffs or bust this yr.
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“Success would be getting into the playoffs and not the play-in,” Wembanyama mentioned. “So I guess that means 6th seed.”
In a tightly contested Western Conference, each recreation will matter to get them to that sixth seed. Game one towards an in-state rival will probably be paramount. The Dallas Mavericks have additionally generated hype this offseason due to the addition of a generational expertise in Cooper Flagg. The rookie headlines a roster stuffed with large, bodily gamers like Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, and Derrick Lively, all of whom have given Wembanyama suits in his profession. Despite their lack of big-time guard play (due to Kyrie Irving’s harm), the Mavericks are a scary staff that ought to make waves within the West.
San Antonio will look to construct on its preseason momentum and get off to a stable begin with out at least two rotational gamers. De’Aaron Fox and Jeremy Sochan are anticipated to overlook the primary handful of video games. It’ll be as much as Wembanyama and the crew to choose up the slack to start out the yr, turning offseason hype into regular-season outcomes.
October twenty second, 2025 | 8:30 PM CT
Watch: ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: De’Aaron Fox – Out (hamstring), Kelly Olynyk – Out (heel), Jeremy Sochan – Out (wrist), Lindy Waters – Out (eye)
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Mavericks Injuries: Dante Exum – Out (ankle), Daniel Gafford – Doubtful (ankle), Kyrie Irving – Out (knee)
What to look at for:
Battle on the boards
The Mavericks are a giant, bodily, defensive-minded staff. These are the sorts of rosters which have brought on points for the Spurs prior to now. Even with a taller, stronger Wembanyama, rebounding could also be a difficulty for San Antonio this yr. They’ll depend on gang rebounding from smaller gamers on the staff like Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, and Harrison Barnes. San Antonio will probably be at a dimension drawback towards Dallas, so securing the defensive boards and maintaining Dallas from scoring second-chance factors will probably be extraordinarily vital.
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Wembanyama takes over
You could recall Wembanyama’s shaky begin to the season final yr. It began with a gap evening dud towards the Mavericks in a 120-109 loss, the place he had 17 factors, 9 rebounds, and 1 block on 5-18 capturing from the sector. He possible remembers that efficiency, given the kind of competitor Wembanyama is. Expect a motivated large man on Wednesday towards the Mavs. Wemby dominated the preseason, trying like a possible MVP candidate. This staff will stay and die by his performances. He may have an opportunity to place the staff on his again on Wednesday.
Wing play
The Mavericks have a budding star in Flagg. He’s going to be a legit two-way drawback straight away. The Spurs might want to comprise him in the event that they need to earn a street victory. That means Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Barnes, and Castle will should be able to match up and go towards the massive, athletic wing. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see who the Spurs select to start out the sport on Flagg. Champagnie looks as if the apparent alternative, however Castle is the staff’s greatest perimeter defender and has the dimensions and power to match up with Flagg. Offensively, the Spurs will want capturing from their wings, like they acquired within the preseason. Knocking down threes on kickouts will probably be key towards the larger Mavs.