Spurs Vs Nets: spurs vs nets — Spurs win 126-110, 11th straight and February sweep

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-110, extending their run to 11 consecutive wins and finishing February undefeated. The victory matters because the Spurs are now closing in on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Western Conference's top seed.

Spurs complete 11-game streak and finish February unbeaten

San Antonio's 126-110 win over Brooklyn was the team's 11th straight victory, and with their next game set for Sunday the Spurs finished February undefeated. The club's last loss came on Jan. 31, a 111-106 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets. The 11-game streak is the third longest in the NBA this season, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16 straight and the Detroit Pistons' 13 consecutive wins.

Julian Champagnie, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama power the Spurs

Julian Champagnie led San Antonio with 26 points, shooting 6-of-9 on 3-pointers, and added 3 steals and 2 blocks. Stephon Castle scored 18 points and made 10-of-12 free throws. Devin Vassell finished with 14 points, hitting 4-of-7 from three, with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Victor Wembanyama contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. The Spurs improved to 43-16 with the victory.

How the game unfolded: a first-quarter burst and a decisive third-quarter close

San Antonio opened the game with a 36-22 first-quarter lead, paced by 13 first-quarter points from Stephon Castle. Brooklyn responded early in the third quarter with a 13-4 run that cut the deficit to 75-69 with 8: 34 remaining in the frame, but the Spurs closed the quarter by outscoring the Nets 29-15 to put the game out of reach.

Brooklyn's top producers and team standing after the loss

Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Danny Wolf and Day'Ron Sharpe each supplied 14 points off the bench. With the loss, the Nets dropped to 15-43, the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and the third-worst in the NBA. The 11-0 February marked the third undefeated month in Spurs history and was the franchise's first undefeated month since a 16-0 March during the 2013-14 season.

Playoff chase details, upcoming schedule and parallel betting headlines

Coupled with the Thunder's loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, San Antonio sits 1. 5 games back of Oklahoma City for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs and Thunder do not play each other again this regular season. San Antonio has 23 games remaining on the schedule; Oklahoma City has 22.

San Antonio's next opponent is the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a nationally televised Sunday matinee at 1 p. m. ET. By that time the Spurs could be within a game of the Thunder, who host the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Separately, a betting model previewing a Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns matchup listed a Friday 02/27 02: 00 AM line and advised that the Lakers should cover. The preview characterized the Lakers as a team that "can't beat the good teams, but they feast on the bad teams, " and called the Suns, despite holding a winning record on the season, "bad" in their current state. It noted the Suns had lost six of their last eight and had failed to cover seven times in their last eight games. The model also observed the Lakers had lost four of their last six, but those defeats were all to good teams on a home stand, and noted that the Lakers owe the Suns payback after a 132-108 loss on December 23rd played without Luke Doncic. The preview questioned who would be available for the Suns that night and added that it was a good bet Devin Booker would not play. Other model headlines included "Thunder vs Nuggets odds, line: Proven model reveals picks for NBA matchup on Friday, February 27, " "NBA odds, lines, spreads, picks, predictions for Friday, February 27: 3-way parlay pays nearly +600, " "Cavaliers vs. Pistons odds, line: Proven model reveals picks for NBA matchup on Friday, February 27, " and "NBA odds, lines, spreads, picks, predictions for Thursday, February 26: 3-way parlay pays over +600. "

Player reactions and coach assessment

Julian Champagnie said it "means everything" to return to New York, where he played college basketball at St. John's and grew up on Staten Island, and to perform well in front of hometown fans; he told the Spurs TV broadcast team he had to buy 17 tickets for family and friends. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game, "It feels like the players are finding different ways to win. "