There’s something particularly cruel about the NBA’s schedule at times. The Spurs, coming off a heartbreaking win at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, will now be asked to drag their bodies to Brooklyn to face the Nets and another New York crowd.

However, the basketball gods have a sense of humor. Victor Wembanyama, still reeling from his 42-point debut that had New York fans checking their phones to see when the Spurs would next visit, faces another Nic Claxton incredibly long, tall man who makes the Guards reconsider their life choices.

The contrast should be fascinating: Claxton, the more traditional rim runner, versus Wembanyama, who spent his Christmas shooting threes like a 7-foot-tall Steph Curry impersonator.

The Spurs are still looking for consistency in everything except their ability to make games interesting. They’ve shown moments of brilliance, usually coinciding with Wembanyama doing something that broke basketball physics, but they’re still learning to turn those moments into victories.

If the Spurs want to avoid their second three-game losing streak of the season, they will need to find answers to some tough questions: Can they prevent flamethrower Cam Thomas from taking his place? Will their defense hold up if Wembanyama sits? Can they escape the turnover bug that has been hitting them lately?

Of course, as we saw in the Garden, all of these questions are sometimes moot when Wembanyama decides to put on a show. And after this screening, you can bet a lot of people will be tuning in to this post.

San Antonio Spurs at Brooklyn Nets

December 27, 2024 | 6:30 CT

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spore injuries: None

Network violations: Bojan Bogdanovic – Out (Foot), Trendon Watford – Doubtful (hamstring), Cam Thomas – Daily Life (hamstring), Ziaire Williams – Daily Life (Knee), Dorian Finney-Smith – Daily Life (Leg)

What you should pay attention to

Holiday miracle

It’s the holidays! If I have to give you reasons why you should curl up on the couch and watch this game, you may have clicked on the wrong website.

For the Nets fans’ perspective, visit NetsDaily.

The PtR game thread will be available tonight for those who want to chat about the game. You can also follow the action through PtR Twitter feed.