Playoff positioning already in mind as streaking Spurs face Suns

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will have differing goals when they square off Thursday in Austin, Texas, in the teams' return to action after the weeklong All-Star break.

San Antonio has a Western Conference title in its sights, while the Suns are looking to secure stronger playoff positioning.

The Spurs head to the final third of the season in second place in the West, three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder with 28 games left. San Antonio has won six straight, which is the longest current streak in the league, including five in a row by double digits.

Victor Wembanyama leads San Antonio's balanced attack in scoring (24.4 points per game) and rebounding (11.1), and seven teammates score in double digits.

San Antonio has already exceeded its win total from last year (34) and has thrived as it has adapted to the personality of coach Mitch Johnson.

Johnson is in his first full year at the helm after taking over from Gregg Popovich last season when the venerable Hall of Fame coach suffered a stroke and eventually retired.

"It's my job to set my vision and expectations for the players," Johnson said. "And it's their job to bring that to life. When you go through things, you're able to learn from them and take away all the good and the bad. You add it to your mental bank and Rolodex. Hopefully it helps you moving forward."

One of Johnson's strengths is finding the right combination of players to put on the court at crucial times in a game. The Spurs employ a freewheeling style on the offensive end but can also stifle opponents with Wembanyama always a presence in the lane.

"He does a good job of putting us in the right spots to succeed," guard Stephon Castle said about Johnson. "His main thing is defense, (but) offensively, he gives us a lot of freedom to ... play free."

The Suns have also been a surprise but have struggled of late. They dropped four of the past six games and return from the break on the heels of a 136-109 loss at home to shorthanded Oklahoma City.

With 32 wins, Phoenix has surpassed preseason projections and sits in seventh place in the West, 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final guaranteed playoff spot.

"What we're playing for the next 27 games, that's exciting," Suns coach Jordan Ott said. "Every night is going to feel like one of those playoff games when you start fighting for it, so that continues our growth. We're right there, and these guys have put themselves in a position that makes these next handful of games meaningful."

The Suns' success is even more impressive considering three top players have rarely been healthy at the same time. They have endured a mix of injuries to star guard Devin Booker and key cogs Grayson Allen and Jalen Green.

"We play our own style of basketball," Ott said. "We're building something that is going to hopefully lead to success down the road. That's where it feels good. It feels good that we're on the right path, but we know how quickly this thing can change."

The Suns beat the Spurs twice at home in November and will conclude the season series March 19 in the Alamo City.

--Field Level Media