After a disastrous 2024-2025 season that ended with a 36-46 record, Phoenix Suns pulled the plug on their Big 3 experiment this summer. Head coach Mike Budenholzer was let go after just a single season,
replaced by Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott. Kevin Durant was shipped out of town in a trade with the Houston Rockets, while Bradley Beal was waived. That leaves Devin Booker as the lone man standing with the only franchise he’s ever known. Phoenix was able to retool a bit, bringing in Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green from Houston in the Kevin Durant trade in the hopes of adding some youth and toughness to a roster that was devoid of either. All in all, 8 players were jettisoned from Phoenix’s roster.
5-0 for the first time in franchise history, the Spurs are rolling to start the year. Still without the services of De’Aaron Fox as he recovers from a hamstring injury, San Antonio has nonetheless benefitted from great wing play to compliment the emerging dominance of Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio’s young squad looks like they’re coming of age right before everyone’s eyes, with a commitment to playing hard on the defensive end and a clear offensive identity in head coach Mitch Johnson’s first full year as head coach. Winning on the road is always tough, but San Antonio should have a great chance at pushing this franchise-best start further tonight.
San Antonio Spurs (5-0) at Phoenix Suns (2-4)
November 2nd 2025 | 7:00 PM CT
Watch: FDSS | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Jeremy Sochan, wrist (day to day), De’Aaron Fox, hamstring (OUT), Lindy Waters III, eye (day to day), Kelly Olynyk, heel (OUT), Luke Kornet, ankle (OUT)
Suns Injuries: Dillon Brooks, groin (OUT), Jalen Green, hamstring (OUT), Isaiah Livers, hip contusion (day to day)
What to watch for
- If nothing else, Devin Booker is a certified bucket-getter, in the truest sense of the phrase. He’s shooting the snot out of the ball to start the year (49/43/81), averaging 30 points a game, and is getting to the line at a rate that, were it to continue throughout the season, would easily be a career-best mark for the 11th year guard. With no one on the roster even approaching his level of offensive competency, Booker has hit the 30 point mark in each of Phoenix’s last 4 games, but they’re just 1-3 in those contests despite his best efforts, though two of them could have gone either way. (https://youtu.be/f0HArcj7vtE?si=e_YflaHLD9eHCcgV)
- Phoenix played Utah twice in their last 3 games and were lit up twice by Utah big man Lauri Markkanen to the tune of 84 points combined in both games, including a 51-point game in Utah. Obviously, every game and match-up is different and presents its own challenges, but if Markkanen was able to do Phoenix like that, what’s stopping Victor Wembanyama from being just as dominant tonight? Mark Williams, formerly of the Charlotte Hornets and acquired by Phoenix in a trade over the summer, will likely be the man holding the center spot down for the Suns against Victor all night.
- Something that hasn’t been talked about enough at the beginning of this young season is the amount of composure San Antonio has shown at the end of games. In their last few wins the Spurs have managed to build significant leads in the second half, only to watch their opponents go on a run that inevitably gets them back in the game. Thanks to the way the 3 ball has changed the game, these sort of runs are possible while watching any NBA game and in some cases feel inevitable. San Antonio though have found ways to right the ship, taking back control in a way that leads to wins. This resiliancy was on display in last Thursday’s win against Miami, when they blew a 15 point lead in the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter, only to wrestle control back from the Heat in the final 5. Closing games out is an art that’s not the easiest thing for a young squad to learn, but the Spurs are showing though that they’ve been studying.
For the Suns fan’s perspective, please visit Bright Side of the Sun.
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