In “back-to-back”, the Spurs only lasted half a quarter before cracking against the Suns, and losing 131-106 in front of their home crowd. Like Victor Wembanyama, limited to 13 points in 21 minutes, Gregg Popovich's players did not have the legs to stand up to the Suns on a mission to stay in the Top 6 in the West.
Well served by Bradley Beal, it's Kevin Durant who gives the first uppercut with six points in a row (17-8) then Devin Booker takes over to give a 12-point lead (24-12). Blocked by Victor Wembanyama, Eric Gordon takes revenge with a 3-pointer, and the Suns widen the gap a little further (36-19).
The Suns play their basketball
The spectacle is provided by the clash between Wembanyama and Bol Bol. The two engage in a great duel, and when Gregg Popovich calls the Frenchman back to the bench, Bol Bol takes the opportunity to take his comfort. Kevin Durant's shoulder, and the Spurs defense is failing everywhere. Poor “Wemby”, back on the field, no longer knows where to turn in the face of extra passes from the Suns, and more particularly from Bradley Beal (12 assists!). At the break, Phoenix leads 65-47.
Returning from the locker room, Devin Booker kills all the suspense, and the gap increases: + 28 (84-56). Victor Wembanyama resists as best he can, but he is very lonely and his stray bullets obviously don't help matters.
Result: Coach Pop' calls him back to the bench, and the Suns take advantage of this to pass the 30-point lead. Finally, “Wemby” will not return to play, and we witness a long “garbage time” for a final victory for the Suns by 25 points (131-106).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Devin Booker too easy. Without forcing anything, Devin Booker had fun with the Spurs defense, whether it was shooting a bell over the arms of Victor Wembanyama or going for a lay-up by mystifying his defender. At the end, 32 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes.
– The Spurs challenge. In 1997, the Spurs had only won 20 games, and that was a franchise record. Can Victor Wembanyama and his teammates do worse? They have so far won 15 matches, and they will need to win five out of the last eleven to equal this “record”, and avoid beating it. It will be very complicated.
– Pop's gifts. While Gregg Popovich auctioned off some of the best bottles from his cellar, he took advantage of the arrival of the Suns to offer a bottle each to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, with whom he won the Tokyo Olympics.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
