From 0-2 to Five Straight: Breaking Down the Spurs’ Hot Start to 2026-27

11/04/2026 | Snap Count Press |
Beyond the Snap: Spurs

Two games into the 2026-27 season, the mood around the Frost Bank Center was a little tense. The Spurs had dropped their home opener to Oklahoma City and then let a close one slip away against Houston. Starting 0-2 against two of the West’s heavyweights isn’t a crisis, but it did raise the obvious question: was this team actually ready to take the next step?

Five straight wins later, the answer is starting to look like yes. San Antonio heads into tonight’s home game against Dallas at 5-2, and the way they’ve been winning says more than the record does. Here’s our look at what’s working, what still needs fixing, and what to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks.

Game by Game: From 0-2 to Five Straight

  • Oct. 20 vs. Oklahoma City: L, 116-104
  • Oct. 23 vs. Houston: L, 114-110
  • Oct. 24 at Dallas: W, 122-106
  • Oct. 27 vs. Sacramento: W, 130-103
  • Oct. 28 at Utah: W, 117-111 (OT)
  • Oct. 31 vs. Minnesota: W, 121-111
  • Nov. 2 vs. Utah: W, 119-97

The two losses came by a combined 16 points against teams that are expected to be in the mix at the top of the conference, and the Houston game was decided by four. Since then, the Spurs have won with blowouts (Sacramento by 27, Utah by 22), a gritty overtime road win in Salt Lake City, and a back-and-forth Halloween win over a good Minnesota team. That’s a nice mix. Teams that only win one way tend to get figured out. This group has shown a few different gears.

The numbers back it up. Through seven games, per Basketball-Reference, San Antonio is scoring 117.6 points per game and allowing 108.3. Its defensive rating of 106.9 ranks fourth in the league, and its net rating of +9.2 ranks sixth. For a team that went 0-2 out of the gate, that’s a strong body of work.

Wemby Is Doing Wemby Things

Everything starts with Victor Wembanyama. Through seven games he’s averaging 25.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.0 blocks in 31.3 minutes a night. His Halloween game was the big one: 43 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and four assists to beat Minnesota and push the streak to four.

That week earned him Western Conference Player of the Week. According to the team, he averaged 36 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, 3.7 assists and two steals over that stretch.

What stood out most to us, though, was Monday’s game against Utah. Wembanyama had “only” 12 points with 11 rebounds and three blocks, and the Spurs still won by 22. When your superstar can have a quiet scoring night and you cruise anyway, that’s a sign the roster around him is doing its job.

There’s one thing to nitpick: the outside shot. Wembanyama is shooting 26.2% from three on about six attempts a game. He’s still a matchup nightmare inside the arc, where he’s at 55.2%, but if those threes start falling, defenses are in real trouble.

Dylan Harper’s Big Jump

The best story outside of Wemby might be Dylan Harper. The second-year guard has started all seven games, leads the team at 32.7 minutes per game, and is averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 48.5% shooting. He led the way against Utah with 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

That’s a big deal for how this team is built. When Harper can run the offense, Mitch Johnson can stagger his ball-handlers and the Spurs don’t have to depend on one creator to get into their sets. He’s also making 87.5% of his free throws, which matters a lot in close fourth quarters.

Fox Is Efficient, Castle Is Everywhere

De’Aaron Fox has been ruthlessly efficient. He’s averaging 15.9 points and a team-best 6.4 assists while shooting 58.2% from the field and 40% from three. Against Minnesota, he put together a 20-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist night on 80% shooting, and the team noted only a handful of Spurs games have ever produced that line.

Stephon Castle fills up the box score in a different way: 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists a night. His shooting (40.8% overall, 34% from deep) is still a work in progress, but his two-way value is obvious. After Monday’s win, he explained the team’s approach to Spurs On SI: “(It was about) not getting bored with what was working.”

Devin Vassell rounds out the starting five at 11.9 points and a team-high 1.7 steals per game. His shot hasn’t fully shown up yet (30% from three), but his defense on the perimeter has.

The Rotation: A Bench That Brings Something

Mitch Johnson has started the same five in every game: Fox, Harper, Castle, Vassell and Wembanyama. That consistency is a good sign in its own right, but it’s the second unit that has really helped this streak.

  • Julian Champagnie has been the bench’s sniper, averaging 11.1 points while hitting 46.8% of his threes on 6.7 attempts per game.
  • Keldon Johnson brings energy and physicality: 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23 minutes a night, including 15 points against Utah.
  • Luke Kornet handles backup center minutes (14.9 per game) and gives the Spurs a rim protector when Wemby sits.
  • Harrison Barnes and second-year forward Carter Bryant have filled in smaller roles, with Barnes knocking down 44.4% from three in limited minutes.

The big open question is the non-Wembanyama minutes. How the Spurs hold up when their franchise player is on the bench is going to decide a lot of close games, and that’s the area to watch as the schedule gets tougher.

Strengths and Weaknesses

What’s working: The defense is legit, with that fourth-ranked defensive rating. The ball is moving too, at 27.4 assists per game. And the Spurs are punishing teams in transition and inside. Against Utah, per the AP, they won fast-break points 26-9 and points in the paint 52-36. With Wembanyama protecting the rim and a backcourt this long and athletic, getting stops and running is clearly part of the plan.

What needs work: Three-point shooting is the most obvious issue. The team is at 34.8% from deep, and Wembanyama, Castle and Vassell are all under 35%. The defensive glass is another one. Utah grabbed 17 offensive rebounds on Monday, and Johnson didn’t hide from it afterward: “The offensive rebounds got away from us at times.” Turnovers (13.4 per game) aren’t a disaster, but they’re worth tracking, especially against teams that like to run.

What’s Next on the Schedule

  • Wed., Nov. 4 vs. Dallas (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
  • Fri., Nov. 6 at Sacramento (NBA Cup)
  • Sat., Nov. 7 at Portland
  • Mon., Nov. 9 at Phoenix
  • Wed., Nov. 11 at Chicago
  • Fri., Nov. 13 vs. Golden State (NBA Cup)
  • Sun., Nov. 15 at Utah
  • Tue., Nov. 17 vs. Detroit

Tonight’s game wraps up a three-game homestand. After that comes the real test: four straight road games, including a Friday-Saturday back-to-back in Sacramento and Portland. San Antonio already won in Dallas back on Oct. 24, 122-106, so the Mavericks will be looking to return the favor in the rematch.

What to Watch

  • Road legs. The Spurs are 2-0 away from home so far. A four-game trip with a back-to-back will tell us a lot about the depth.
  • NBA Cup. Group play opens Friday in Sacramento, and Golden State comes to town Nov. 13. Those games count in the standings and in the Cup race.
  • Wemby from deep. If his three-point percentage climbs toward his career norms, the offense gets even scarier.
  • Harper’s ceiling. If his first seven games are the real deal, the Spurs have a second star-level creator a lot sooner than anyone expected.

Seven games is a small sample, and nobody’s printing playoff tickets in early November. Still, the Spurs have the look of a team that knows who it is: elite defense, a superstar at the center of everything, and a young backcourt growing up fast. The 0-2 start already feels like a long time ago.

Sources

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