San Antonio was without top stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle on Wednesday against Portland, but the Spurs still came away with the 112-101 victory.
Nothing seems to stop the San Antonio Spurs, including the absence of their two best players. In Wednesday's matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, neither Victor Wembanyama nor Stephon Castle touched the court, but the Spurs still emerged victorious 112-101.
This bodes well for San Antonio, which continues to navigate a day-to-day rib injury from Wemby with only two more regular-season games remaining. While Castle isn't currently banged up, keeping him healthy ahead of the postseason is another top priority.
The stakes down the stretch have lessened for the Spurs, as even in the face of their shorthanded win, Oklahoma City locked up the Western Conference's No.1-overall seed with a win of their own over the Clippers.
One of the most notable takeaways from the win over Portland is that the Blazers are a play-in team in the Western Conference and could easily be a first-round opponent for San Antonio. Handling them without either of the two leaders in action highlights just how dangerous this team can be in postseason play.
With a date against the scrappy yet underachieving Dallas Mavericks up next, it is very likely that San Antonio keeps its top pieces on the bench. The Mavs are worse than the Blazers record-wise, and even if they pull off an upset, it does not affect San Antonio in the slightest.
The biggest looming factor for sending Wemby back onto the floor is the NBA's 65-game mark required to be eligible for awards. The French phenom is touted as the potential runaway winner of Defensive Player of the Year and has put together a strong case for Most Valuable Player, as of late.
Sitting at only 64 games, Wembanyama has to appear for at least 20 minutes in at least one of the Spurs' final two contests. Due to the non-severe nature of his injury, it seems almost certain that San Antonio will allow him to reach this criterion before the season is over.
The question now is, does the team let him play against inferior competition in the Mavericks or save him for the regular-season finale against the Denver Nuggets? The Nuggets will theoretically pose a higher challenge - and risk of re-injury - but also allow for Wemby to get familiar with a team that is very likely to be a playoff opponent down the road.
It is arguably a great dilemma to face for San Antonio, as the squad has showcased a strong ability and depth outside of its two primary faces, which could be the difference between them and other playoff challengers.