INGLEWOOD, CA - MARCH 16: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs plays defense during the game against the LA Clippers on March 16, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user i s consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Following a 5-1 home stand, the Spurs kicked off their road trip Monday night against a Kawhi-less Clippers team, narrowly escaping with a win. The Spurs got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 17-3 in just the first four minutes of the game. It didn’t help that LAC started hot from deep, hitting three triples and directing their offense away from Wemby’s Go-Go Gadget arms. Following a timeout, San Antonio went on an 8-0 run to calm the Clippers’ storm. De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle got to the basket and scored at will, as they took advantage of LA’s lack of rim protection. The Spurs went 11-15 from two in just the first quarter, but 1-12 from deep kept them from blowing the doors wide open.  Defensively, the good guys weren’t bad, but LA’s hot shooting helped them score 37 in the opening frame alone. Thankfully, they soon grew cold, allowing San Antonio to go on a 15-0 run and lead for the first time. With Wemby back in the game, the Spurs also dominated the glass: San Antonio finished the first half with 12 offensive rebounds, and their inside dominance helped them turn a 14-point deficit into a 66-52 lead at halftime.   The Silver Black continued to control play to start the third. LA couldn’t generate any offense with their shooting going cold and Wemby sealing off the basket, while the Spurs kept up their assault at the Clippers’ rim. As a result, San Antonio went on another run to push their lead to 24, which seemed like an insurmountable deficit for LA. Unfortunately, the good guys seemed to think the same, as they took their foot off the gas after Wemby subbed out. The Clippers began scoring from inside the arc, which coincided with San Antonio getting careless with the ball and chucking up bad shots. In the blink of an eye, the home team had cut the lead down to 8, forcing Mitch Johnson to play Wemby and his starters more minutes than expected. As soon as the Alien came back in the game, the Spurs went on another run to regain their double-digit lead. However, LA would not go away, making it a two-possession game once again following a four-point play from Darius Garland. San Antonio’s late-game offense went into the gutter, forcing up bad shots and giving LA numerous chances to make a comeback. The Spurs needed two fortuitous foul calls from the refs and an unsuccessful challenge from Ty Lue to finally seal a 119-115 victory. Game notes The Spurs trailed 17-3 just four minutes into the game before going into halftime up 66-52. In other words, they outscored the Clippers by 28 in under a half, and also conceded just 15 points in the second quarter after giving up 37 in the first. San Antonio levelled up at will — a hallmark of an elite team — but they’ll need to maintain focus and hold on to big leads in order to truly have a chance at winning the title this year. Wemby tweaked his right ankle in the second quarter after inadvertently stepping on Castle’s foot. That’s the same ankle that forced him to sit against Denver last week, but another angle seemed to show that it was his shoe that came off and twisted at an odd angle, and not his actual foot. Wemby did stay in the game, but it’ll be interesting to see if he’s on a minutes restriction against Sacramento given that it’s a back-to-back. Carter Bryant’s confidence is growing every game. In the second quarter alone, he took a self-created step back three, attacked the basket and put in his own rebound, and drew a foul going downhill in transition. The decision-making is still spotty (like the three, which he missed), but that will improve with time. At the rate he’s grown this season, Bryant might see some legitimate minutes in the playoffs — a scenario that was unfathomable in October.  Play of the game Defense —> offense from Area 51. What more can you ask for? VIC BLOCK. STEPH SPIN CYCLE. OMG. 😱🤯📺 @KENS5, @NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/JbeV9o3EDP— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 17, 2026 Next game: @ Sacramento on Tuesday The Spurs are right back at it Tuesday night on the second half of a back-to-back against the lowly Kings. ...read more read less