The San Antonio Spurs have 52 tallies in the loss column after falling to the Houston Rockets 103-101 on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center.

This puts the Spurs on pace for their worst record in franchise history with a 17-65 mark. Going into the All-Star Break, the Spurs built a goal to try and have a better record than they did last year at 22-60.

Jeremy Sochan San Antonio Spurs Jabari Smith Jr Houston RocketsIn order to beat that mark this season, the Spurs have to go 9-7 in their final 16 games.

“It’s our job, and this is what we’re here for: to win as soon as possible but also in the long run,” Victor Wembanyama said after Tuesday’s loss.

Can the Spurs get it done? They’ve been competitive in each of their last four games despite going 1-3. They nearly beat the Sacramento Kings on the road and dropped close games against the Golden State Warriors and Rockets at home.

However, the Spurs have the fifth-toughest schedule remaining in the NBA with 11 of their final 16 contests coming against teams that are better than .500.

While that is an obstacle, the last three Spurs’ wins come against teams that are projected to reach the playoffs. The Spurs have proven they can beat talented teams, but the question remains whether they will be able to finish the season strong against them.

Their next test comes on Friday night when the Spurs travel to Austin to face Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT from the Moody Center.