With the San Antonio Spurs' 104-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, an incredible streak of theirs came to an end when they clinched their first losing season on the road since 1996-97.
ESPN Stats & Info tweeted about it after the Spurs' loss which gave them 21 road defeats on the year out of a possible 41 road contests. The record was the longest in NBA history of consecutive seasons with a winning record on the road, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Spurs' loss at the Thunder gives them 21 road losses on the season, clinching their 1st losing record on the road since 1996-97.
Per @EliasSports research, San Antonio’s 20-season streak of winning road records was the longest in NBA history.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 11, 2018
Ever since the Spurs selected legendary power forward Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the franchise has simply been a model of consistency for the last 20 seasons under head coach Gregg Popovich.
Article Continues BelowDuring the past 20 seasons, the Spurs have made 20 consecutive playoff appearances, have won five championships, and have 18 straight seasons of at least 50 or more victories. In order for the Spurs to get to 50 victories this season to keep their streak alive, they have to win at least 13 of their last 16 games.
Last night's loss dropped this reeling San Antonio squad's record to 37-29 on the season, which includes 13 losses in their last 20 games. However, according to a tweet on Saturday evening from ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, San Antonio may see the return of star small forward Kawhi Leonard for this upcoming Thursday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
With just 16 games remaining in the 2017-18 regular season, the Spurs are the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoff race with the L.A. Clippers at No. 8 with the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers still in the hunt for a playoff berth.