The final day of the NBA season is a time for reflection. It’s a time when fan bases (the ones that haven’t checked out already) look at what went right and wrong at the end of the 82-game marathon. The San Antonio Spurs can very clearly point to what went wrong. Untimely injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox ruined their chance of competing for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. You could easily point to the development of rookie Stephon Castle and the good play from Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson down the stretch as what went right.
Now they’ll wrap up their season with nothing to gain and nothing to lose. At 33-48, the Spurs are locked into the 8th-best odds at the number-one overall pick in the draft. Their opponent, the Toronto Raptors, is just a step ahead of them in the lottery standings and is locked in with the 7th best odds.
Both teams will rest key players to their franchises. The players on the court have nothing to gain but pride, leaving some good tape for teams across the league to assess. San Antonio will get to wrap up this roller coaster of a campaign at home amongst their fans.
April 13th, 2025 | 2:30 PM CT
Watch: Fan Duel | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: De’Aaron Fox – Out (finger), Riley Minix – Out (shoulder), Jeremy Sochan – Out (back), Devin Vassell – Out (ankle), Victor Wembanyama – Out (shoulder)
Raptors Injuries: RJ Barrett – Out (rest), Ulrich Chomche – Out (knee), Gradey Dick – Out (knee), Brandon Ingram – Out (ankle), Jakob Poeltl – Out (hand), Immanuel Quickley – Out (rest), Jared Rhoden – Out (shoulder), Ja’Kobe Walter – Out (hip)
What to watch for:
End of the bench
San Antonio will likely give a lot of minutes to players at the end of the bench like Malaki Branham and David Duke Jr. on Sunday. This is the last chance for these young players to make an impression before contract negotiations this summer. Toronto will have plenty of players in a similar situation. If you’re looking for meaning in a fairly meaningless game, this is the best place to look.
Stephon Castle ends strong
The Spurs have an opportunity to take home their second-straight Rookie of the Year award thanks to Castle. He’s the front-runner for the award and has been one of the Spurs’ most consistent bright spots throughout the season. He’ll look to end the season with a bang against the Raptors. Castle has cemented himself as a core piece of San Antonio’s future. Spurs’ General Manager, Brian Wright, and the rest of the front office have to feel good about their draft selections right now.
Iron Man seasons
In the NBA, availability is the best ability. The Spurs will have three players who have logged minutes in all 82 games. Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, and Julian Champagnie will have played in every regular season game after playing on Sunday. The trio have been mainstays for the Spurs this season. In a turbulent year filled with untimely injuries, you could argue players like Barnes and Paul have been the rocks of the squad.
