The Good, Bad, and Ugly Of Week 23 Of The 2025-26 NBA Season

As the end of the 2025-26 season creeps closer, week 23 brought fans a playoff-clinching celebration thanks to one of the league’s young stars, a freak and tragic injury, and yet another controversial call by an NBA official. Let’s take a look back at the week that was.

THE GOOD:  

Just three years ago, the San Antonio Spurs went 22-60 in back-to-back seasons. Last year, they finished 34-48, slowly making their way towards a .500 record.  This week, Victor Wembanyama hit a game-winning fadeaway with 1.1 seconds left to beat the Suns and clinch San Antonio's first playoff appearance since 2019. But this isn’t a play-in berth or even a sixth seed; the Spurs are officially locked into no worse than the second seed in the Western Conference playoff race. On Monday in Miami, Wembanyama posted 26 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks as the Spurs clinched the Southwest Division title while recording an NBA-best 22-2 since February. Two nights later, the Spurs used a well-balanced attack to dismantle the Memphis Grizzlies by 25. Then on Saturday, they rolled into Milwaukee and won 127-95, with seven players scoring in double figures. San Antonio sits just two games behind OKC and owns the tiebreaker, having won four of five regular-season matchups against the Thunder.  The Spurs are no longer a Cinderella story; they are a legitimate title contender in 2026.

THE BAD: 

Already without Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry for extended stretches, not to mention Al Horford and Seth Curry, the Warriors were dealt another devastating blow this week. After stealing the ball from Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg in overtime, Moses Moody took off toward the hoop for a game-sealing dunk, and as he launched himself in the air, his knee buckled. He collapsed and didn't get up. The diagnosis was a torn left patellar tendon, a devastating injury to one of the Warriors' young roster pieces. A fifth-year shooting guard, the 23-year-old Moody was having a career year, averaging 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shooting 40% from downtown. With the team locked into a play-in berth, Moody was set to play a key role for a Warriors team that has been trying to retool over the past few years, holding onto the last little bit of its dynasty tag. While Golden State won in overtime, the offseason may bring more of a rebuild than a continued retooling.

THE UGLY: 

With 4:13 left in overtime of a one-possession Timberwolves-Rockets game, Timberwolves forward Naz Reid was called for an offensive foul, Minnesota challenged it, and the replay appeared to show Alperen Şengün’s feet still moving. Despite video evidence, official Scott Foster upheld the call anyway. Reid told Foster "he was moving" and was quickly ejected without a prior technical foul. The NBA's own Last Two Minutes report later acknowledged the crew missed several key calls. The league's response? Rather than try to smooth over the issue, they made it worse by fining Reid $50,000 while Foster received zero consequences. The NBA's officiating problem isn't new, and it isn't going away, but when evidence clearly shows differently, it's best not to compound the problem and make matters worse. Keep in mind, this isn't the first time the Timberwolves and Foster have had issues, as he also ejected Anthony Edwards on Christmas Day.