Necessary Spurs' challenges keep getting sabotaged by the NBA gods' injury bug of terror

Something is going around taking out NBA stars this month, and with Halloween fast approaching, it's certainly got a spooky vibe to it.

The Spurs are 2-2, and two of those four opponents showed up missing the guys who would have made beating them mean something. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving were both ruled out before Dallas' home opener on Oct. 24, so San Antonio rolled,122-106. Then the Kings, down Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray, got buried 130-103.

Tonight in Utah, Jaren Jackson Jr. is out six to eight weeks with a torn MCL, Jusuf Nurkic is out with a foot injury, and Lauri Markkanen is questionable with a sprained wrist. Next up is Minnesota. They're coming to the Frost Bank Center on Halloween night without Anthony Edwards in the lineup, who could miss up to two months after arthroscopic knee surgery.

The Spurs' measuring-stick opportunities keep getting hampered

Of course, it isn't just the SA's schedule being affected. Rotowire counted 85 players on the injury report with the season barely a week old. Luka Doncic has back tightness, so he'll miss the Lakers' matchup with the Clippers. Tyrese Haliburton strained a hamstring and will be out for some time.

Oklahoma City beat us, 116-104, on opening night at full strength. Since then, they've lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to surgery, with Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso down on top of it. Whenever we see them again, it won't be the same team that walked out of the FBC with a W.

That's annoying when you're trying to see what you're made of and learn about yourself. But the show must go on, and the Spurs can't let up. Sticking to their standard could help the team manage minutes, and the more you can reduce wear and tear on these guys, the better.

The Spurs' reputation for protecting players will come in handy here

It's the peace of mind of knowing this organization will do everything in its power to protect the players. Tuesday was a blueprint fans want to see all season long when playing an inferior opponent. Victor Wembanyama went for 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, and he did it in 26 minutes. Julian dropped 26 on 8-of-13 from deep in 25 minutes.

Vic is averaging 30.5 minutes per game this season. The number doesn't need to go much higher than that, and I don't think it will. Not because of any restrictions, but because they're good enough to blow a bunch of teams out.

This franchise already protects its guys as well as anybody in the league. But the medical staff can only do so much from the sideline. The rest comes from the guys putting games out of reach in the fourth quarter.

Mitch Johnson said after the Dallas win that there's "a lot of things we can control." This is one of them. Build a 26-point lead, and you've bought Wemby and the gang some rest. Win by four, and they're still out there at the two-minute mark. It's pretty simple stuff.

San Antonio is a 12.5-point favorite in Utah tonight. The Silver and Black should win by 25.

The injury list around the league is ugly. You can't help but feel for Ant and JJJ. But with that being said, the Spurs need to play to expectations and try to lead by 30 with eight minutes to go every single time. Let the bench close the night from there, and let's get out of October with everybody still standing.

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