Spurs: Breaking down the toughest 10-game stretch of '21-22

Nov. 14: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers

This will be the Spurs' second meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-2022 regular season after having already played them in late October.

The Lakers were very active in free agency as they usually are, but many have concerns about the team's age and lack of shooting. Even so, I expect a team led by LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis to still come out swinging and play well. I also expect that this is a game that the young Spurs players will want to win particularly badly, though, so expect a good fight.

Nov. 16: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers

The Spurs will be staying in Los Angeles for a few days as they'll have to face the Clippers two days after their matchup with the Lakers.

It's worth not forgetting that the Clippers almost certainly will not have Kawhi Leonard available this game due to his partially tearing his ACL in last season's playoffs. That being said, the Clippers still should not be underestimated.

Even without Leonard on the floor in the playoffs, we were all witness to the damage that Paul George can cause other teams when he's playing at his best. With the team bringing Eric Bledsoe back to Los Angeles, they should not be counted out in the slightest. Depending on the outcome of the Spurs' game against the Lakers a couple of days beforehand, this could end up being a tougher game than expected.

Nov. 18: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves

Some may see this game as a much-needed break for the Spurs after two tough games in Los Angeles, but I'm not so sure that this will be the case just yet. If the team can stay healthy for a significant amount of time and the players learn how to play well with one another, the Timberwolves can be a decent team.

That being said, even if Anthony Edwards builds upon his impressive rookie season and Patrick Beverly does a good job being a sort of "glue guy" for the team, I'm hesitant about making any predictions about the Timberwolves. Chris Finch will have his work cut out for him.

Nov. 22: San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns

While the Spurs will have a nice three-day break back at home before playing their next game, unfortunately, it will come against the Phoenix Suns. Even after their loss in the NBA Finals, there isn't much to say about this team.

Their biggest free-agent of the summer, Chris Paul, is returning to the team on a hefty multi-year deal and they will surely be looking to have another crack at the Finals while he's still playing in good form. While the Spurs notably had a fantastic blowout performance against them this past season, I full expect for that to not be the case this time around. Even with the home crowd back in San Antonio, expect another tough battle to the end.

Nov. 24: San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks

Two days after their matchup against the Suns, the Spurs will face the Atlanta Hawks at home. And depending on how the first few games went for the Spurs, I could see this as the game where things start to either get very ugly or very bright for the team.

The regular season is largely a game of momentum as it is playing one game at a time. With that in mind, after (assumingly) coming off of a few losses, this could be a game when the Spurs will look to break a bit of a rough streak. That said, I expect Atlanta to come out looking better than ever next season and make another big playoff push.