In what turned out to be a nightmare of a night, the Spurs lost both their undefeated record and potentially Dylan Harper to injury in Phoenix. The Suns rained threes and looked like the more mature and polished
team en route to a 130-118 win that wasn’t as close as the final score reflects.
It was clear the Spurs were not sharp early on in terms of execution, and that the Suns had a plan defensively to take advantage of it. Phoenix was sending two men to Victor Wembanyama whenever he got the ball, leaving shooters open. San Antonio couldn’t make them pay despite getting good looks from outside and had to settle for some midrange jumpers from the guards instead. On the other end, the home team was absolutely on fire from beyond the arc, so even when the Silver and Black scored, it was hard to keep up. An inspired Devin Booker orchestrated the offense beautifully, knowing when to shoot and when to pass, leading his team to a seven-point lead after one.
The Spurs realized that the lane was open, as whoever was guarding Wembanyama played him close, and aggressively tried to take advantage of it, with essentially anyone who got a step on their defender trying to force their way inside in the second frame. The paint buckets and second-chance points were making up for Wemby’s feeble scoring and overall poor team shooting, to a degree. San Antonio also tried to run, and their star big man played selflessly, passing to the open man instead of trying to force things to get himself going. Late in the frame, some threes started falling for the visitors, which seemed to be doing the right things. Once again, the issue was that Phoenix was unconscious from outside and played with poise and patience. The Suns scored 70 first-half points and led by 18 at the break.
Normally, a game in which the three-point disparity plays such a big part in one team getting a big lead seems prime for a comeback, as the percentages tend to stabilize. Unfortunately, multiple factors accurately suggested the Spurs would struggle to get back in it. First, they lost Dylan Harper, who had been fantastic, to a calf injury. Second, they seemed frustrated with the officiating and the Suns’ physicality, as evidenced by the two technical fouls that ended the half and a couple of bad fouls to start the third. Finally, while the Spurs were their own worst enemies at times, the Suns deserve credit for having a good defensive plan and playing tidily and patiently on offense to complement their torrid shooting. San Antonio never got within double digits and Phoenix’s lead ballooned to 31 at one point.
The only good news is the Spurs continued to fight while facing adversity and, at one point, found their rhythm to put a scare on the Suns, at least for a few minutes. Other than that, there’s not much positive to take away from a night in which San Antonio suffered an injury to a key player and lost their undefeated record. It’s too early in the season to get too down over just one night, but this Sunday is one the Silver and Black will want to forget.
Game notes
- There has been no diagnosis of Dylan Harper’s injury, but he was in a walking boot on the bench, so it’s safe to assume it’s somewhat serious. It’s a tough blow for the team, which is still without De’Aaron Fox, and for the rookie, who was looking great to start the year.
- The Suns had a plan to stop Victor Wembanyama’s scoring, so they get much of the credit for his 4-for-14 shooting night, but Wemby was also simply bad on Sunday. He missed shots close to the basket and was loose with the ball against doubles, turning it over six times. It’s just one game, and he would have had at least three or four more assists if his teammates had made their shots, but Victor will need to figure out how to fight through physical defense. Having Luke Kornet back, hopefully soon, should help, as Wemby could get more rest and won’t suffer as much wear and tear battling inside.
- Stephon Castle continues to show he’s made a leap. The second-year guard posted a 26-7-4 stat line and battled hard with Devin Booker on defense. He needs to understand that stars get calls and adjust to avoid committing unnecessary fouls, but that should come with time.
- It was a throwback Devin Vassell game, and not in a good way. After hitting a couple of midrange jumpers early, Vassell was largely invisible the rest of the way, finishing the night with four points on nine shots and going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Quiet nights from guys like Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie are one thing, but the Spurs needed a better version of Vassell, especially with Harper out, and he couldn’t deliver.
- Keldon Johnson’s aggressive play was a bright spot in an otherwise dark night. If Harper misses time, the Spurs will need him to continue touching the paint on drives. On Sunday, he had 19 points, and his energy was contagious.
- The Spurs got outscored by 15 points in the nearly six minutes Bismack Biyombo was on the floor. He can’t guard the pick-and-roll in space and his rim protection is lacking. Once again, Mitch Johnson went with a centerless lineup at one point and played Wembanyama heavy minutes. Under ideal circumstances, he’d be a solid veteran for the young guys to learn from. Right now, he seems like a waste of a roster spot.
Next game: at Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday
Once again, the Spurs will get two days off. It didn’t seem to help their rhythm against the Suns, but it means rest for Wemby and hopefully an opportunity to get at least one of the injured guys back.
