At 23-29, the Spurs occupy just the No. 12 seed in a crowded Western Conference. They are a scant 3.5 games behind the No. 10-seeded Golden State Warriors (28-27), but without their best player, they seem doomed now to miss the play-in tournament entirely and head straight for the lottery.

The Spurs said they discovered a deep vein thrombosis upon Victor Wembanyama's return from San Francisco for the All-Star Game.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder.