When the San Antonio Spurs got “whipped” (to reference the form of a word coach Gregg Popovich used following the team's latest blowout) by the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 14, it pushed them into a distinction they would've like to have avoided. That 123-87 thumping at OKC meant they'd lost three of their first 11 games by at at least 30 points, joining the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets as the only teams to suffer such outcomes that early in a season.

A 146-110 ass-whooping–again, as referenced by Popovich–to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday proved the Spurs first setback by more than 30 points in more than month. At the same time, it's far from just the fourth time the Silver and Black have suffered a big defeat.

A look at the Spurs' margins

Just about half of the Spurs' 21 losses have come by double digits. Two have been beatings by at least 40 points and two more have featured 36-point margins. Two games have seen differences between 20 and 29 points, while four have been decided by double digits to 19.

The Silver and Black's first two road losses of the season were their worst. A 123-83 thumping versus the Los Angeles Clippers dropped the Spurs to 1-2 after they'd split a pair of home games against Texas' other two NBA teams. Following back-to-back wins at the Phoenix Suns to close October and begin November, the Spurs' next contest away from home took them to Indianapolis. That 41-point rout stands as the team's largest loss of the year and marked the second of what turned into a franchise-record 18-game losing streak.

The aforementioned 36-point setback at the Thunder was their worst leading into this past Sunday.

“Definitely started with a run on their side. They’ve been shooting very well, and we haven’t. We haven’t been shooting very well, so we need to make that extra effort on defense,” Victor Wembanyama said about the team's first outing following the win that broke the 18-game skid. “If it was indeed a lack of energy, it’s something that’s easy to correct, and we need to do it right away.”

Sandwiched in between their two 36-point losses, the Spurs fell by 21 in Wembanyama's Madison Square Garden debut and by 25 in the first of consecutive games against the Clippers at the Frost Bank Center on November 20. They've also dropped four more contests by 12, 12, 15 and 11 points.

Possible reasons for the Spurs' huge margins

Though four of their last nine defeats have been decided by double digits, the Spurs had steered clear of the shellacking that defined the early part of their season. Chalk a huge part of Sunday's loss to the Pelicans playing well. But the Spurs deserve some blame as well. The team's superstar thinks the their youth only goes so far when it comes to lopsided results.

“It might explain it, but it doesn’t mean it’s OK. We're not (looking for) excuses. Any team's goal is trying to be consistent and we're on our way but there's no excuses,” Wembanyama said.

The Spurs hope they're not in search of similar answers on Tuesday night. They're scheduled to take on the 19-7 Milwaukee Bucks without Wemby, who's set to miss just his second NBA game with right ankle soreness.