Predicting the Spurs post-all-star weekend record for the rest of the season

Despite preseason expectations to the contrary, the San Antonio Spurs have been surprisingly bad this season, putting them back in the mix for a high lottery pick. The Spurs are currently on pace to win just 16 games this season after going 11-44 through their first 55 games, but they could either exceed or underperform that low mark.

Unfortunately, the Spurs schedule doesn't suddenly get any easier; actually, it is about to get much harder. In fact, their first dozen games out of the all-star break could be a real kick in the teeth as they look to finish their season strong.

Predicting the Spurs remaining schedule post-all-star break.

The Spurs start the second half of the season with a four-game road trip in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Utah, and Minnesota—all probable losses. Things don't get much better from there, with the Spurs then playing the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers back in San Antonio and at Houston, at Sacramento, and a home game against Golden State.

It's entirely possible that they lose their first 10 games of the second half of the season, with their first foreseeable win possibly coming on March 12th against Houston. They also have home games against the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzles that are winnable, though they have an incentive to lose against Memphis since it could help the Spurs receive Toronto's 2024 first-round pick.

The Spurs are set to play 21 of their 27 remaining games against teams that either made the playoffs last season and/or are in the mix this season, with the Jazz, Rockets, Nets, Grizzlies, and Pistons being excluded. With the previously mentioned teams battling for playoff position, they are likely not going to take it easy on the Spurs, while the Spurs may choose to give younger players more playing time.

As a result, their best bet to pick up wins is against those teams out of the playoff mix, and they are likely to earn another six wins out of their 27 games. That would mean that they finish the season with just 17 wins, the fewest in franchise history. On the plus side, they will probably finish with one of the three worst records in the league, ensuring another high draft pick.