De’Aaron Fox of the Spurs drops a truth bomb on the end goal after destroying the Lakers

After knocking out the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs are two wins away from the requirement NBA Cup. It would prove to be a success with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder standing in their way, not to mention the Spurs are struggling to win the regular season after missing the playoffs each of the last two seasons. For De’Aaron Foxhowever, what the Silver and Black are doing now — and he hopes to do — goes way beyond what’s happening in Las Vegas.

“One thousand percent,” Fox said when asked if he expected to play big games for San Antonio upon his arrival last February.

“You see, and obviously even without Vic (Victor Wembanyama), I think we have so much talent on this team that we can be in any game we play,” the former All-Star continued.

The Spurs are gone 9-3 as superstar Victor Vembanyama is sent off with sow calves in mid-November.

“Just the talent that we have in this locker room. Yeah, I envisioned us, me, being able to play in high-stakes games like this,” Fox added.

San Antonio’s leading scorer in Wembey’s absence, the former Sacramento King is averaging 24 points per game this season. He’s even better since his 7-foot teammate came outscoring at least 20 in 10 of those 12 games.

“This is just a stepping stone. Obviously, we want to win a tournament in the season, but at the end of the day, what we want to do is win an NBA championship and you have to keep building towards that. And playing in games like this is what helps you,” Fox said.

“…We’ll have to see how they react”
-Mitch Johnson on whether Wemby plays against OKC

“It’s a big deal for us”
-Stephon Castle on @NBA winning the cup

“Ultimately … what we want to do is win #NBA championship
-De’Aaron Fox#Spurs advancement in Desa @martinezlavsa Report⬇#PorVida pic.twitter.com/gSDfTtImhm

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) December 11, 2025

The Spurs are setting a course for the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2019. A semifinal at Nevada is the next step on that path.

The Spurs eliminated the Lakers for a place in the NBA Cup

Fox scored 20 points in a 132-119 win in Los Angeles. Stephon Castle led the team with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Dylan Harper scored 13 points in 20 minutes.

“I mean, we had to get to Vegas,” Harper said. “I think that was the biggest thing on my mind. We have to win this game and get to Vegas, we’re moving forward.”

Only 19 years old, the rookie guard has already had missed a few weeks with a calf strain his own. One of the games he was unavailable for came to the City of Angels against the Lakers led by Luka Dončić. This time, he was not only going up against a five-time All-Star, but also LeBron James for the first time.

“Being on the court with them is crazy surreal. It’s like watching them on TV over and over again in big moments, like we just played. And now that I have the opportunity and the opportunity to play in that big moment against them and show what I do and show what the team is and just win. I mean, it’s a great feeling,” added Ron Harper, the son of the former NBA player.

The feeling is, and more often than not, the types of games that Spurs are hoping for are happening. Especially De’Aaron Fox.