San Antonio Spurs Break Record for Most Home Wins to Start NBA Season

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

The Golden State Warriors may be dominating headlines as they pursue the NBA's single-season wins record, but the San Antonio Spurs made history of their own Wednesday night when they broke the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record for the most home wins to start an NBA season. 

The Spurs, who look like a virtual lock to capture the Western Conference's No. 2 seed, improved to 38-0 at with a 100-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center and secured a spot in the league's record books, according to the NBA on Twitter:

Manu Ginobili led the way with 20 points in the win while Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green added 16 points apiece as the Spurs moved to 63-12 on the season. 

The Spurs have never been the type of franchise to bask in the glow of regular season achievements, and Ginobili made that clear after the Spurs tied Chicago's record with a 110-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 25. 

"Couldn't care less," Ginobili said, according to the Associated Press (via CBSSports.com). "It's great that we are defending our home court, but it counts in May, or late-April or June."

According to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald, head coach Gregg Popovich stuck with the company line following the win: 

That approach also sums up the leadership style of aging superstar Tim Duncan, who was recently praised by Popovich for the way he's ignored the noise that accompanies in-season praise. 

"He's been totally uninterested in all the hoopla and awards and all that," Popovich said, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding. "All he cares about is winning. It's really the truth. I've never talked about any of that kind of stuff with him."

Selflessness has long seemed to permeate through the Spurs—who have emerged as the NBA's model franchise with Popovich at the helm—and this season hasn't been any different. 

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Not only have they ripped off home wins at an unprecedented rate, but the Spurs defense has stifled opponents all season long to the tune of a league-best 96 points allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com's stats database.  

Most notably, the Spurs held the Warriors to a season-low 79 points in an eight-point win at AT&T Center on March 19 to assert their dominance against the league's top-ranked offense. 

Outlasting the Warriors—who are also undefeated at home this season—in a seven-game playoff series will require the Spurs to put together one of the most impressive postseason displays in recent memory.

But if there's any team capable of taking care of the defending champions, it's a disciplined and motivated team like the one Popovich is leading in San Antonio.