The Spurs went from 0-2 to 8-2 at +103 and share first in the West with the Thunder and Lakers: only the 2017-18 Celtics had done that in 12 seasons

The San Antonio Spurs started the season 0-2. After a 125-103 win at Portland on Saturday, they are 8-2 with a +103 point differential and share first place in the Western Conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Only one team in the last 12 seasons had gone from 0-2 to 8-2 through 10 games: the 2017-18 Boston Celtics, who did it at +97.

The Lakers had the West to themselves at 8-2 after Friday night. Saturday’s results caught both of their nearest pursuers up. Oklahoma City beat Washington 114-75, and San Antonio finished off Portland:

ON A ROLL 🙌@Specs1962 pic.twitter.com/J9r1tGtw1e

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 8, 2026

The numbers that stand out

• San Antonio lost its first two games by a combined 16 points: 104-116 to Oklahoma City on Oct. 20 and 110-114 to Houston on Oct. 23
• The Spurs have won the next eight by a combined 119 points, scoring 121.3 per game and allowing 106.4
• Their +103 differential is +10.3 a game, the best mark among the four teams with eight wins. The Thunder are +80, the Lakers +77 and the 76ers +28
• Saturday’s 22-point win in Portland matched their 119-97 victory over Utah on Nov. 2 as the second-largest of the eight-game run, behind only a 130-103 home win over Sacramento
• Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points with 7 rebounds in 24 minutes on 9-for-13 shooting
• Oklahoma City’s 114-75 win held Washington to the lowest team total of the season in 139 games
• Of 90 teams that started 0-2 from 2014-15 through 2025-26, only one reached 8-2 through 10 games

A three-way lead in the West

All three first-place teams have played 10 games. The Spurs have the best point differential of that group, and the second-best in the league. Minnesota, at 7-3, still leads the NBA at +107 and did not play Saturday. Houston fell to 7-3 with a 99-102 loss at Phoenix and sits at +90.

Team	Record	Point differential	Per game
Spurs	8-2	+103	+10.3
Thunder	8-2	+80	+8.0
Lakers	8-2	+77	+7.7
Timberwolves	7-3	+107	+10.7
Rockets	7-3	+90	+9.0
Warriors	7-3	+50	+5.0

The Thunder got to 8-2 the other way around: they started 4-0, lost twice, and have now won four straight. The Lakers are also 8-2 after beating Portland 124-118 on Friday and had Saturday off. They play at Detroit on Sunday.

Only one precedent in 12 seasons

Game logs kept by Basketball-Reference for 2014-15 through 2025-26 cover 360 team-seasons. Ninety of those teams lost their first two games. The only one that then reached 8-2 through 10 games was Boston in 2017-18. Those Celtics lost 99-102 at Cleveland and 100-108 to Milwaukee, then won eight straight and stood at +97 through 10 games. The Spurs are 6 points of margin ahead of that start.

Team	Season	Through 10	Point differential	First two games
Celtics	2017-18	8-2	+97	Lost at Cleveland, lost to Milwaukee
Spurs	2026-27	8-2	+103	Lost to Oklahoma City, lost to Houston

Starting 0-2 is common enough — it has happened to a quarter of the league over those 12 seasons — but climbing all the way back to 8-2 in the next eight games is not. The other 89 teams that opened with two losses were 7-3 or worse through 10 games.

What’s next

The Lakers visit Detroit on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, the first of the three 8-2 teams to play again. A win would put them alone in first place at 9-2. A loss would leave San Antonio and Oklahoma City there at 8-2. The Spurs visit Phoenix on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

Game results: NBA box scores. Historical game logs: Basketball-Reference.