The San Antonio Spurs traveled to Arizona with their NBA Cup chances on the line. A win against the Phoenix Suns meant they would win their group, and advance to the knockout rounds. The Spurs couldn’t overcome their offensive struggles as they lost 104-93.
San Antonio never could find a rhythm offensively, especially from the three-point line where they went 8-44 (18.2%). Even good, open looks weren’t falling for the Spurs. They continued to hoist up threes regardless and finished the game shooting just 35% from the field. It wasn’t Phoenix’s best offensive game either, as they shot 48.7% from the field and 34.3% from deep.
San Antonio was led by Devin Vassell, who did everything he could to get the Spurs back in the game in the fourth quarter. He had 25 points on 10-14 shooting from the field and was the only Spur who was a threat from deep, hitting four of his five threes.
The Suns were led by a solid performance from Devin Booker, who had 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in the victory. Kevin Durant was having a nice game before leaving the game after turning his ankle in the second quarter – he finished with 13 points including a pair of threes. Despite the win, the Suns were also eliminated from the NBA Cup, thanks to the Oklahoma City Thunder defeating the Utah Jazz, winning the head-to-head matchup with Phoenix.
The Spurs will travel back to San Antonio for their next matchup with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday Night.
Observations
- Jeremy Sochan looked great coming back from injury. The forward had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive glass. His energy picked up right where it left off and provided a spark for the Spurs when they needed it. With Sochan looking like he’s playing at 100%, it’ll be hard for San Antonio to keep him out of the starting lineup.
- It was not a great game for Victor Wembanyama, who struggled to find any offensive rhythm. He had 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists but shot only 6-18 from the field and 1-8 from deep. He continued to launch shots from deep and only had a short spurt in the third quarter when he was aggressive on the interior. San Antonio’s offense started to click when the big man caught the ball in the paint, but it was a rarity for most of the night.
- Stephon Castle showed up and punished the Suns by attacking the basket. The rookie had 16 points by routinely getting to the rim and using his strength and size to create angles for himself inside.
- San Antonio struggled with turnovers for the first time in a while, coughing it up 14 times. The Suns were able to convert 21 points off those miscues. It seemed like whenever San Antonio needed to maintain a run, they’d shoot themselves in the foot with a turnover. Mistakes like that will significantly hurt your chances in an important game like this one.
