San Antonio reached the 60-win mark for the first time nearly a decade, but a potential injury to Victor Wembanyama raised a few concerns.
The San Antonio Spurs won another game on Monday night, as they downed the Philadelphia 76ers 115-102 inside the Frost Bank Center. It marked their 60th win of the season, which is a feat that hasn't been achieved since 2017.
In the midst of the celebration of the historic accomplishment, a dark cloud loomed overhead. Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama exited the matchup early due to a rib injury. While initial reports seem to point to it being a non-serious injury, it was a potentially disastrous scenario.
San Antonio is a complete team and it would be disingenuous and possibly even rude to state that Wembanyama is the only reason the team has had success. However, he is an MVP frontrunner and easily the best player on the court for the Spurs.
Imagine a scenario where Monday's injury is worse and this year's magical season is suddenly in jeopardy. The Spurs are bonafide title threats and the potential loss of its leader in Wembanyama could dash those hopes in an instant.
It's something that Spurs fans have seen before. Look no further than the last time San Antonio hit 60 wins, which saw Kawhi Leonard suffer a season ending injury and the Spurs get swept out of the Western Conference Finals.
With three games left in the season, San Antonio has locked up a playoff berth and a guaranteed top-two seed in the Western Conference.
Despite having so much locked up, there are still opportunities for the team to earn more. This includes a chance to steal the top spot in the standings from Oklahoma City. The Spurs have been hot on the heels of the Thunder most of the season, but still find themselves 2.5 games behind.
Outside of the team, Wemby is vying for various awards from the NBA after his phenomenal season. These include Defensive Player of the Year, which is almost a guarantee, and Most Valuable Player, which would be the first of his career. The problem is the league requires a 65-game participation threshold to be eligible for these awards and the Spurs star is sitting at 64.
You may answer, "Well, there's three games left in the season, so no big deal, right?" It could very well be that simple in the minds of Wemby and the Spurs, but after the incident against Philly, it may not be so obvious.
Again, there is no reason for San Antonio to essentially forgo the rest of the regular season, even if there were no awards or playoff seeding on the line. That goes against the spirit of the game.
But there are serious questions about how much it's worth to send not only Wembanyama but key pieces like Stephon Castle out onto the floor as the regular season dwindles down.
However the Spurs decide to handle these final games down the stretch, they will have to weigh the risks and rewards ahead of a playoff run that could make history in San Antonio.