Breaking news: The San Antonio Spurs will not go undefeated this season. After setting a franchise record with five straight wins to start the season, the Spurs were handed their first loss of the season by the Phoenix Suns, 130-118.
It was a fairly brutal beatdown by the Suns, without many bright spots for the Silver and Black. The one performance that rose above the rest came from Stephon Castle. The sophomore had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while guarding the Suns’ best player,
Devin Booker.
San Antonio needed other players to step up while the Suns paid all of their defensive attention to Victor Wembanyama. Castle was able to score at all three levels on Sunday. He was good at the rim, in the mid-range, and knocked down two of his five three-pointers. Here we see him explode off two feet for the slam.
Castle’s defense was smothering on Booker. The Suns needed a red-hot shooting night from their star and the rest of the team to deflate the Spurs. Castle’s point-of-attack defense is strong. He’s got the size, strength, and agility to guard the best of the best. Booker got the best of him tonight, but it easily could go the other way in their next matchup.
The play of the game came during a fourth-quarter surge by San Antonio. Keldon Johnson got a mismatch on a big man, crossed him up, and then jammed the ball home for the poster. Johnson continued his stellar play with a 19-point performance off the bench.
Finding an offensive rhythm was a rare occurrence for the Spurs on Sunday. The Suns’ defense disrupted Wembanyama, who had just 9 points on 4-14 shooting. This possession showed what is possible when they are clicking. Wemby creates an advantage, and the team moves the ball to find the wide-open Harrison Barnes in the corner for three. Barnes had 13 points and knocked down three triples in the loss.
The Spurs will look to bounce back against the Los Angeles Lakers as they close out their road trip on Wednesday at 9 pm CT.
Check out the full game highlights below:
