Outside of the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, who are looking like they own the path to the Larry O’Brien Trophy again this season, the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons have been the hottest teams in the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBA) regular season and are the only teams with 40+ wins at this stage. The Spurs are blazing, and currently sit at second in the Western Conference, behind the Thunder, while the Piston are surprise leaders in the Eastern Conference.

The 2019/20 season was the first season since 1996/97 in which the Spurs missed the playoffs, an NBA record. The Spurs missed out on the playoffs again the following year, marking the first time in franchise history that the Spurs went consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, and they have now not made the postseason for six straight years. As for the Pistons, who won 38 games last season and barely made the playoffs, they won just 14 games two seasons ago and registered an unenviable single-season NBA record of 28 consecutive losses. Last season’s playoff appearance broke a long drought that stretched back to their previous appearance in 2019, and their postseason win against the New York Knicks last year ended a 15-game postseason losing streak.

The Spurs and Pistons met on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, in what could be considered a mid-season ‘heat-check’ — the hottest team in the East versus the hottest team in the West. The Spurs entered the game on an eight-game win streak, while the Pistons had won five straight of their own, and both defences rank in the league’s top three, respectively, behind the front-runner Oklahoma City. Led by their young phenom, Victor Wembanyama (Wemby), with 21 points, 17 rebounds (eight offensive), four assists and six blocks, the Spurs found an edge in a battle that featured two elite defences.

San Antonio eventually stifled Detroit 114-103 for their ninth-straight win, despite Wemby not having his best game, by his standards, but his fourth quarter output (11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four blocks) was enough to seal the victory. On Wednesday night, the Spurs travelled to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Raptors, who managed to contain Wemby for one of the softest games of his career — 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting with seven rebounds. But despite the Raptors pulling every string and devising a master plan, Wemby still amassed a game-high five blocks and helped San Antonio to a 110-107 victory, their 10th-straight win, and their first double-digit win streak since January 2016, when they won 13 in a row.

Also on Wednesday night, the Pistons welcomed the Thunder into Detroit for what was expected to be their second ‘heat-check’ in three days, but it was not to be, as the defending champions were missing four starters due to injury, and lost another player by half-time. The reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Abdominal Strain), All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams (Hamstring Strain), rising star Ajay Mitchell (Abdominal Strain, Ankle Sprain), All-Star Chet Holmgren (Low Back Spasms), starting centre Isaiah Hartenstein (Right Soleus Injury Management), and defensive ace Alex Caruso (Ankle Sprain) were ruled out for the game and sharpshooter Isaiah Joe left at the intermission.

That said, what was expected to be a blowout loss for Oklahoma City turned out to be very competitive, even after being outscored by Detroit 72-46 from the beginning of the second quarter to the end of the third. And based on the 116-124 final scoreline, the Thunder have now lost 15 games for the season, after losing only 14 on their way to the title last year and have lost ground to the Spurs who won earlier the same night. The Thunder have very little time to lick their wounds as they are on tap tonight when both Conferences see their current leaders take on the fourth seed, respectively. The Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets, and the Pistons will host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the early action tonight, the Pistons and Cavaliers meet for the third time this season, after splitting the first two matchups, with each team winning on each other’s floor. The Cavaliers caught the conference leader in October, in Detroit, and severely dispatched them, winning 116-95, but the Pistons returned the favour in Cleveland, in January, with a less dramatic 110-104 scoreline. The Pistons boast the second-best home record up to this point in the season, just behind the Thunder, and will need maximum effort to get past the Cavaliers.

The Detroit defence is better, just a shade better, but the Cleveland squad is much deeper overall. The hosts will need a massive game from Cade Cunningham and company if they hope to register a win, since Donavon Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen will be out for blood, and the newly signed James Harden will provide the spacing they require to go to work. Added to this is the fact that the Pistons commit the most fouls in the league, and with Harden, who has the ability to pull fouls out of a hat, this could spell trouble for the Eastern Conference leader. Harden was with the Houston Rockets when these two teams met earlier this season and while JustBet offers the Pistons as favourites entering the contest, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the game went in the opposite direction.

The Thunder versus Nuggets matchup will be the nightcap tonight and it could be exciting, but only if some of the Oklahoma City starters return. These teams met in early February where the Thunder prevailed 121-111, in Denver, after splitting the four contests evenly last season, but the laundry list of injuries paints a gloomy outlook for Oklahoma City’s ambitions tonight. And unlike the Thunder, the Nuggets are coming off a huge 103-84 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to enter this contest brimming with confidence. If two or three Thunder starters return in fairly good condition, this could be an evenly contested encounter, but if not, there will likely be a stain on Oklahoma City’s league-leading homecourt record. JustBet favours the home team but, without the injured starters, a win may just be nothing more than a pipe dream.

The 2025/26 NBA regular season ends on April 12, 2026, just about a month and a half away, equating to about 23 games left to play per team, which is not a lot. Seedings for the playoffs, in each Conference, can change rapidly after only a few games, so there is very little room for error. Injury and fatigue will be major factors at this stage of the season, and the depth of the bench will go a long way in determining the final placings. On any given night, any number can play, which is where sports can display its illustrious beauty, and the NBA is no different. The big question at the start of the season was if the Thunder could repeat, and they were blazing out of the blocks, but cooled off a bit in late December, after losing three times to the Spurs in a 12-day span. This, of course, is the modern NBA, where dynasties are extinct and parity is on steady boost — I love this game!

JustBet continues to offer attractive betting options on all popular sports and events (including virtual games) as soon as they become available. Please visit one of the over 130 locations (or
visit www.supremegames.com/#/prelive) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!