According to ESPN’s Insiders, the San Antonio Spurs are projected to win the most NBA games this coming season.
The Spurs won 62 games this past season, which was the second-most in the NBA behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won 64 games.
Next year, the Spurs are projected to win 62 games again — two more than the Thunder, who are projected to win 60, according to ESPN.
Spurs Projected to Win Most Games
Here are ESPN’s Insiders’ top-five projected teams in the NBA Western Conference as far as wins go for the 2026-27 season:
1. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22)
3. Denver Nuggets (51-31)
4. Houston Rockets (51-31)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32)
Given how good a team that San Antonio is, it’s not surprising to see them first in the Western Conference projections, especially since the team didn’t lose any major parts like the Thunder, who lost several of their key depth players like Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe in trades due to second apron considerations.
The Spurs, meanwhile, added veteran Tobias Harris to a team that just went to the NBA Finals this past year, with perennial MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama leading the way for San Antonio.
As well, the team is expected to see Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Carter Bryant take big leaps this coming season, plus you have valuable veterans such as De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and more propping up the team.
The team also added two first-round picks at the 2026 NBA Draft in Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance. With such a deep and talented team, you can see why ESPN’s Insiders believe that the Spurs will be the top team in the league this season.
Knicks Expected to Lead Eastern Conference
While the Spurs are expected to lead the Western Conference and the NBA overall, the defending champion New York Knicks are expected to lead the Eastern Conference, as the team is tied with the Detroit Pistons — who led the East with 60 wins last season — as the top team in the East this coming season.
1. New York Knicks (53-29)
2. Detroit Pistons (53-29)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
4. Philadelphia 76ers (50-32)
5. Boston Celtics (48-34)
The Knicks defeated the Spurs in the NBA Finals 4-1, so as good as San Antonio is, the Knicks ultimately won it all when it mattered in last season’s finals.
New York has a terrific team, though they did lose a valuable player in backup center Mitchell Robinson. He was replaced by veteran Andre Drummond, though it remains to be seen how that trade-off will look for the Knicks this coming season.
The Pistons were the top team in the East during the regular season last year, but they struggled a bit in the playoffs, and it will be interesting to see if they can keep up their winning ways next year or fall back to Earth.
The Philadelphia 76ers are projected for 50 wins, but if you ask most NBA fans, they probably would project them to win more than that after the team added NBA legend LeBron James in free agency.
Spurs Projected to Win Most NBA Games This Season