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The San Antonio Spurs Continue To Make History

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Anthony Simpson | Last updated Feb 12, 2026 9:00 AM ET

Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama are doing things like no one else. Both are coming off 40-point nights where they made franchise history. However, in the modern NBA, records are being broken all the time. Case in point, the San Antonio Spurs have made history multiple times recently. So, how important are these regular-season performances anyway?

The San Antonio Spurs Continue To Make History

These Performances Matter

Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks seemed uninteresting enough. After beating the Mavs three times this season, including in the game before this one, no surprises seemed to be in store for this game. What would be special about another dismantling of a rebuilding team led by a rookie? Castle. He became the youngest player in NBA history to have a 40-point triple-double. And it doesn’t end there. Castle also shot over 75% from the field. That makes him the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to have done so. To be putting up similar numbers to one of the most dominant players of all time is special. Doing it at an age when you just become able to buy your own drinks is mind-blowing. And to think he was struggling until recently.

Wembanyama did not want to be outdone. In Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he dropped 25 points in a quarter. No Spur has done this in the play-by-play era. What that means is that since the NBA started reliably tracking stats, he is the only player to hold this honor. He ended the game with 40 points, which he almost entirely scored in the first half. Given that the game was such a cakewalk for San Antonio, one can only imagine the stat line he would put up if he had played more than 26 minutes. In other words, he could have broken other records and perhaps joined Castle with a 40-point triple-double if he wanted to.

The Defenses They Overcame

Feb 7, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shakes the hand of guard Stephon Castle (5) during the second half against Dallas Mavericks at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Lakers were missing a few players, however. This might lead some to believe that Wembanyama was given an easy night. However, a quick watch of his highlights shows a different story. Wembanyama was more aggressive towards the basket and was getting guarded by multiple players in the paint. Instead of passing out, he charged in, routinely absorbing contact and actively trying to score. He even had a few almost and-ones, reaching over the defense. Also, don’t let the Lakers’ injuries fool you. They were missing their big three, but Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic are not defensive powerhouses. On the contrary, the Lakers might have done worse with those players on the floor.

The Dallas Mavericks are a different story. Unlike their rival to the west, the Mavs are the 12th highest in defensive rating on the season. In fact, the Spurs are the third-ranked team by defensive rating, and they are closer to the Mavs than the first-ranked Thunder. So, there is no argument that either player got off easily in terms of matchups. Both opposing teams were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Area 51 Partnership

It is no secret that the Spurs have depth at the guard position. From De’Aaron Fox to Dylan Harper to Castle, there is no end to the talk about who is going to be throwing most of Wembanyama’s lobs throughout his career. If one thing is clear, it is that it isn’t going to be Fox, who has a few years on everyone else in this conversation. The Spurs decision to focus the offense around Harper or Castle more isn’t going to be a tough one. The tough decision is ‘when’ and ‘how’. Fox is 28 and still in his prime, and the only logical way to move on from him is a trade. This is unlikely given that the Spurs recently traded for him and because this season has been such a success.

The really ugly part is that Fox’s contract is the biggest and longest of any player on the Spurs. Castle will need an extension before that happens, and so will the rest of the team. Whether or not the Spurs can afford all their talent by then will be a question, as Castle will most likely be an all-star by then. Either way, the success of all these guards is a great problem to have, at least for now.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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