Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Sunday, January 5, 2025: Spurs Run Out of Gas on Victor Wembanyama's Birthday

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft and more.

Matt Guzman

Jan 4, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for position during an inbound pass in the second half at Frost Bank Center.
Jan 4, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for position during an inbound pass in the second half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs almost had it, but couldn't quite get the job done at home in Game 2 of their back-to-back series with the Denver Nuggets.

Despite Victor Wembanyama's first 20-20 game of the season, the Spurs fell 122-111 in overtime to slide down to just one game over .500 with a four-game road trip incoming.

"It's a frustrating loss, especially when you felt like you had some control," Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. "You don't play a team of that caliber two nights in a row without saying you did some good things, (but) it's a never-ending battle of improvement and perfection."

Now, onto the headlines.

The News

1. READ: Stagnant Offense Dooms Spurs in OT Loss to Nuggets

The San Antonio Spurs came close to securing back-to-back victories in two pivotal games, but couldn’t close the deal.

Check out the full story at the link above.

2. READ: Victor Wembanyama Earns 'Special' Praise from Nikola Jokić

The San Antonio Spurs walked out of Ball Arena with a road win in Game 1 of their two-game bout with the Denver Nuggets, and Victor Wembanyama was a big reason why, which earned him even more praise from Nikola Jokić.

Check out the full story at the link above.

3. READ: Against Jokić, Nuggets, Victor Wembanyama Earned His Praise

Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone and a score of players spoke very highly of Victor Wembanyama after the 113-110 Spurs win Friday night. Safe to say, it was warranted.

Check out the full story at the link above.

Today's Schedule

No game scheduled | Next: at Chicago (Mon, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.)

The Full Schedule

The San Antonio Spurs played their first game of the year on Oct. 25, kicking off the second season of Victor Wembanyama's young NBA career. Now that it's through, here's a preview of some upcoming dates and times (all in CST) throughout the season to watch for:

San Antonio Spurs Regular Season Schedule

Jan. 23-25: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

Feb. 3: Rodeo Road Trip Begins at Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 14-16: All-Star Break

Feb. 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
Feb. 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest Home Stand Ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: Final Road Trip Begins at Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final Home Game vs. Toronto Raptors

On This Date in Spurs History ...

January 5, 1971: During the 1970-71 season the name was changed from the Dallas to Texas Chaparrals, with some home games scheduled to be played in Lubbock and Fort Worth. However, the experiment was shut down after the announced attendance against the Pittsburgh Condors in Fort Worth was announced as 500.

January 5, 2022: Gregg Popovich coached his 2,000th career game. Dejounte Murray had 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds as San Antonio won at Boston, 99-97. 

Quote of the Day

“You're always going to face criticism, you're always going to face challenges, but those things are there to make you stronger and more committed.”

- David Robinson

The Closer

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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