The San Antonio Spurs will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday to kick off their march through the NBA playoffs, and they used the extra rest time to get in playing shape.
The San Antonio Spurs ended their regular season with a flurry of last-minute injuries. In the final three games, Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama, and Luke Kornet were all listed on the injury report. Dylan Harper joined them, leaving the regular-season finale early with a thumb injury.
As the second seed, the Spurs get to sit back and relax before the first round. They will kick off their series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, giving them a full week to study film, rest, and get in the best shape possible before the postseason.
The Spurs have battled injuries all season, and with only a few days left before their biggest test of the year, they provided a refreshing injury update.
San Antonio Spurs Offer Playoff Injury Update
The biggest concerns for the Silver and Black should be Wembanyama and Harper. Wemby pushed to play in his required 65th game of the season, and looked fully healthy, although the Spurs' title hopes rest on his shoulders, so his health is a top priority.
Harper, meanwhile, was the most recent Spur to hit the injury report. However, his thumb injury seems minor, and San Antonio anticipates he will be ready when they need him.
"We expect him to play Sunday," said Mitch Johnson. "He just got a hit, and there's going to be some pain there in the sprain. He's got to work his way through that, but we expect him to play."
While Harper is being asked to play through the pain, Wembanyama has a clean bill of health, at least according to him.
"To 100 percent regular season shape, I think I'm very close," Wemby said. "But we never really go back to 100 percent. Except before the off-season, we never go back to 100 percent. There's always something going on. But in terms of regular-season shape, I'm very close."
Wembanyama has not played the Trail Blazers this season, and the Spurs went 2-1 without their best player. That prevents Wembanyama from fully game-planning for a four-game series, but it also keeps him surrounded by some mystery, as Portland is not ready for him in the slightest.