The San Antonio Spurs have won their last ten games, the longest winning streak in the NBA, and the team’s longest in a decade. However, amid Victor Wembanyama‘s recent criticisms against himself, as the Spurs look to continue their winning ways in the upcoming game against the Brooklyn Nets, two key players are now listed on the injury report.
According to the latest updates, both Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson are listed as questionable for San Antonio’s Thursday night game against Brooklyn. The news comes a bit late, as the Spurs are coming off a close win against the Toronto Raptors the night before, but potentially without the two players, the win streak could be at risk.
While San Antonio did grab its tenth win in a row on Wednesday, it came off a relatively subpar performance for Wembanyama, and the star had a lot to say about his preparation for the game, but more on that in a minute.
Spurs Injury Report Vs. Nets, Updates On Castle and Johnson
As put out by the team, both Castle and Johnson are listed as questionable for the Nets game.
Castle, the second-year guard with a fast-growing reputation as a top perimeter defender, is reportedly dealing with left hip flexor tightness. Johnson, one of the emotional leaders of the team, is dealing with a left shoulder sprain. According to the injury report, the two players will be game-time decisions as the team evaluates the extent of the injuries.
There is a chance that San Antonio is eyeing sitting the two on the second night of a back-to-back, but as they are now in a close race with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference, that feels unlikely. Additionally, if the Spurs were looking to have some load management against Brooklyn, Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox would be more likely candidates to sit out.
Along with Castle and Johnson, the Spurs have Mason Plumlee on the injury report, as after his recent acquisition, he’s remained out with what the team has described as ‘reconditioning’ and has yet to play a game so far.
They’ll also be without David Jones Garcia, who underwent season-ending surgery on his ankle earlier in February. Each on two-way contracts, both Harrison Ingram and Emanuel Miller will also miss the contest versus the Nets.
Victor Wembanyama Drops Bold Criticism Amid Win Streak
Though the Spurs continued the winning streak against the Raptors on Wednesday, it didn’t come by way of a dominant Wembanyama performance, as the franchise star finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and five blocks on 3/12 shooting in the three-point victory.
After the game, Wembanyama criticized his own preparation, citing that he wasn’t in shape and a lack of sleep for his relatively underwhelming stat line.
“I didn’t recover tonight,” he said, per Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “With all the time changes from L.A. to here, and coming late from Detroit, I wasn’t recovered today. I need to do a better job getting my treatment in, getting more sleep. I couldn’t sleep last night. Yeah, I wasn’t in shape today.”
Still, Wembanyama was impactful in the win despite the low scoring numbers, as his block on Collin Murray-Boyles without jumping was a highlight play of the night.
Regardless, the win in Toronto put San Antonio’s current win streak at ten games, the longest in the league right now. The Spurs have a while to go before reaching the longest win streak in franchise history at 19, set in the 2013-14 season, but are just three wins away from the 13-game win streak set in 2015-16.
Along with the game against the Nets on Thursday, San Antonio plays the New York Knicks on Sunday, and the Philadelphia 76ers next Tuesday, the game in which they can match the 13 wins in a row.
But for now, the 42-16 Spurs, led by Wembanyama with a strong supporting cast, look like title contenders, despite not yet making the playoffs with this current roster, and will be a tough out in the postseason for any other team in the West.
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