The 2020s have been a decade of rebuilding for the San Antonio Spurs. After their immense success between 1999 and 2014, the Spurs found their team in a sunken place, cemented by the departure of Kawhi Leonard in 2018. And since then, while they have found their new centerpiece in Victor Wembanyama, they haven’t been able to win many games.
In fact, since the dawn of the 2020s, the Spurs are the only NBA team to not win five games in a row. Their last five-game win streak came during the 2018-19 season, starting on February 28th against the Pistons, and ended with their ninth win in a row, coming against the Warriors on March 19th. You can their last major win streak below.
February 28th: San Antonio Spurs win 105-93 against Detroit Pistons
March 3rd: San Antonio Spurs win 116-102 against Oklahoma City Thunder
March 4th: San Antonio Spurs win 104-103 against Denver Nuggets
March 7th: San Antonio Spurs win 111-104 against Atlanta Hawks
March 11th: San Antonio Spurs win 121-114 against Milwaukee Bucks
March 13th: San Antonio Spurs win 112-105 against Dallas Mavericks
March 16th: San Antonio Spurs win 109-83 against New York Knicks
March 17th: San Antonio Spurs win 108-103 against Portland Trail Blazers
March 19th: San Antonio Spurs win 111-105 against Golden State Warriors
The 2018-19 season was the last time the Spurs had a winning record to end a campaign. They finished the season with a 48-34 record, securing the seventh seed. They would face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, losing 4-3 in a thrilling seven-game series.
In the 2019-20 NBA season, the Spurs’ longest winning streak was just three games, achieving this four times during the season. They finished with a 32-39 record, good enough for the 11th seed in the West, thus missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
The following season, with fewer games to play, the Spurs matched their performance from last year, with a three-game winning streak being their longest, doing so four times. They finished the 2020-21 NBA season with a 33-39 record, good enough for the tenth seed, earning them a spot in the inaugural play-in tournament. They would lose to the ninth-seed Grizzlies, thus losing their chance to return to the playoffs.
The 2021-22 NBA season saw similar fortunes for the Spurs, finishing with a 34-48 record and 10th seed once again, losing to the Clippers in their one and only play-in game. However, they did improve on the winning streak front, putting together a four-game winning streak twice in the season.
In 2022-23, the Spurs put up their worst record in 26 years, going 22-60 for the whole campaign, finishing 15th in the West and missing the playoffs. Their longest winning streak that season was once again just three games long, achieving this good run of form just twice. But their poor record paid off massively, as they secured the first overall pick, selecting Victor Wembanyama with it.
The 2023-24 NBA season was supposed to mark a new beginning for the Spurs. But Wembanyama, despite his individual brilliance, couldn’t improve the team’s record, as the Spurs finished 22-60 once again, but this time as the 14th seed. They continued their trend of the three-game winning streak being their longest, but this time, they only achieved it once in the season.
So far this season, the Spurs are looking better. They currently sit 10th in the West with an 18-19 record. And their longest winning streak has been four games. Perhaps this year they can finally break their drought and put together a five-game (or longer) winning streak.
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