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Playoff positioning already in mind as streaking Spurs face Suns

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NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Golden State WarriorsFeb 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1), forward Keldon Johnson (3), and guard De’Aaron Fox (4) celebrate as the clock expires against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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–Field Level Media

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3 times Shivam Dube bailed India out of a tricky situation in T20Is ft. Asia Cup 2025 final

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19 February 2026

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The understated and often underappreciated Shivam Dube produced another heroic effort with the bat in India’s final T20 World Cup 2026 group stage clash against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18. The 32-year-old scored a brilliant 31-ball 66 when India were in trouble at 69/3 in nine overs.

Dube is enjoying an excellent start with the bat this year, averaging 38.83 at a strike rate of 208.03 in nine T20Is. The tall left-hander has been a regular in the Indian T20I side since 2024, when the side triumphed in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

He has been impressive in the ongoing edition, averaging 29 at an average of over 178 in four matches.

While consistency and versatility haven’t always been Shivam Dube’s calling cards, his unique skillset against spin in the middle-order has made him an irreplaceable force. More recently, since becoming a regular in the playing XI, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-hander has also evolved as India’s savior when the team is in trouble.

His most recent heroics against the Netherlands aside, Dube has bailed India out of dire straits frequently in the past.

Here, we look at three such instances when Shivam Dube saved Team India from the blushes in a tricky situation in T20Is.

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#1 Asia Cup 2025 final

The first thing that comes up when Team India fans discuss Shivam Dube is his pivotal knock in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai. The Men in Blue were red-hot favorites entering the game, having won all six of their previous matches in the tournament.

Yet, come the big occasion against their arch-rivals, India found themselves in trouble, chasing 147 on a tacky wicket. Dube walked into bat with the score reading 77/4 in the 13th over and the contest hanging in the balance.

Unfazed by the situation, the 32-year-old remained calm and exploded at the end, finishing with a crucial 22-ball 33 to help India pull off a thrilling five-wicket victory in the last over.

Before his batting heroics, Dube also bowled an invaluable spell of 0/23 in three overs in the first innings, with veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya injured.

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#2 IND vs ENG, 2025

Shivam Dube may have endured a mixed bag with the bat in T20Is last year, but the start of the season was anything but. The tall left-hander produced a series-winning knock against England with the side in trouble in January 2025.

With the five-match series hanging by a thread at 2-1 to India, the hosts suffered an early collapse in the fourth T20I in Pune to be reduced to 57/4 in the eighth over.

However, Dube changed the course of the game with a sensational 53 off 34 deliveries at No.6, including seven boundaries and two maximums. The southpaw curbed his natural six-hitting instincts for most of the innings, helping India post a respectable 181/9 in 20 overs.

Dube’s knock proved to be the difference between the sides as India completed a 15-run win and took an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

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#3 IND vs USA, T20 World Cup 2024

Several questions were raised over Shivam Dube’s inclusion in the Indian squad at the start of their victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. Yet, the big-hitting batter answered his skeptics early in the tournament with a crucial knock against the USA in the group stage in New York.

On a bowler-friendly pitch, the Men in Blue restricted the co-hosts to a below-par 110/8 in 20 overs. Yet, in response, the Indian batters found the going difficult, slipping to 39/3 in the eighth over.

With an improbable defeat facing them, India were saved by Shivam Dube, who produced an uncharacteristic knock at No.5. The veteran batter scored an unbeaten 31 off 35 balls with only a boundary and a maximum, propelling India to a seven-wicket victory.