March 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembayama (1) plays drums and leads fans in cheers after defeating the Detroit Pistons at Frostbank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Image The San Antonio Spurs will test their fitness Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers as they look to move closer to the top spot in the Western Conference.
This is the second home game in a row and the first of three between the teams during the final week of the season. The Spurs enter Friday’s game with the best record in the West and three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
San Antonio, led by Victor Wembayama (38 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks) and De’Aaron Fox (29 points), opened a six-game homestand with a 121-106 win over the East-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
The win is the Spurs’ second win in a row and their 13th in their last 14 games. Two of those wins were against the Pistons.
“I’m very pleased with the level of contact we had because Detroit plays physically,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I thought we did a really good job of continuing to get in the right spots and make shots. Every game is a big game and myself and the coaching staff continued to emphasize urgency and competitiveness. Everyone played really well.”
The Spurs set the tone for the game, scoring as many as 19 points in the first half to take a 71-55 lead at halftime. With Detroit leading by eight points late in the third quarter, San Antonio had all the answers.
Julian Champagnie had 16 points and Stephen Castle finished with 11 points and 12 assists in Thursday’s win, the Spurs’ first home game in nearly a month. San Antonio will play seven of the next nine contests at home.
“We want to win and we will do whatever it takes to achieve that,” Champagne said.
The Clippers head to San Antonio after a dominant 130-107 home win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Los Angeles has won three straight after losing three in a row and sits in ninth place in the West with 21 games remaining. If the season ended today, there would be enough to advance to the play-in tournament.
Kawhi Leonard continues to be one of the Clippers’ highlights this season, leading Los Angeles in scoring with 29 points on Wednesday, his 35th game this season to lead or tie for the team scoring lead. The Clippers shot 55.1% from the field and improved to 24-10 after snapping a five-game losing streak on Dec. 20.
“We still have to learn new players and plays, and we’re working on that,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said. “The execution hasn’t been really great (and we’re) not where we need to be. The spacing isn’t good, and we still don’t understand the play calling. Once we do that, I think we’ll be really good.”
Bennedict Mathurin added 23 points against his former team, Brook Lopez had 17 points and Derrick Jones Jr. and Darius Garland each had 12 points for the Clippers. Garland played only his second game since Jan. 14 and suited up at home for the first time in Los Angeles after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on deadline day.
Lue said Garland plans to put his foot down and utilize his versatility. A nagging toe injury kept him out of the game.
“(Garland) is a guy who can get up to speed, can run pick-and-rolls, can get where he wants to be on the floor, can run a variety of options to get out of pindowns, can get out of pick-the-picker moves,” Lue said. “We can use him in many different ways.”
Garland did not travel to San Antonio and will not play in the Clippers’ next two games against the Spurs or Memphis Grizzlies.
–Field level media
