Cheers rained down from the Phoenix Suns crowd in the fourth quarter, but not for the home team. No, they were for Victor Wembanyama, who had just scored his 40th point and extended the San Antonio Spurs’ lead to 30+ points. It was the type of performance where you just have to throw your hands up if you’re the opponent.
Nothing the Suns did could stop the big man, who did everything in a 40-point, 11-rebound, 8-block performance that carried the Spurs to a 122-96 win, the team’s ninth straight. Wembanyama
shot 15-for-19 from the field and 2-for-3 from the three-point line, making nearly every shot he took. He made game-breaking plays with the ball in his hands, hit turnaround jumpers in the post, and slammed home back-breaking dunks, leaving no chance for the Suns to keep pace. And he did it all in just 25 minutes.
“He’s allowing the game to unfold naturally,” said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson after the game. “He’s putting himself in position to take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of him.”
Early on, it looked like Wembanyama wouldn’t even have the best performance in the game. Suns guard Devin Booker was on fire early, scoring 15 of Phoenix’s 25 first-quarter points. It didn’t matter how physical Stephon Castle defended him; Booker was able to snake around screens and make jumpers all night. Booker led the Suns in scoring with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and made 3 of his 5 three-pointers.
It was Booker’s hot shooting that kept the Suns in the game in the first half, despite the rest of the team struggling to create any offense. A lot of that had to do with San Antonio’s smothering defense. The Spurs were on a string, getting into the passing lanes for steals, playing solid help defense, and funneling the Suns into Wembanyama, who erased their shots at the rim. Phoenix shot just 39% from the field, and the Spurs had 10 blocks and 6 steals.
From tip-off, it was clear that the Spurs wanted to get into the paint and score over the Suns’ soft interior defense. San Antonio got to the free-throw line 25 times and outscored Phoenix in the paint 62-48. The Spurs dominated the glass, outrebounding the Suns 55-35. Just about every stat around the paint swung in San Antonio’s favor.
After building a 61-46 lead at halftime, it looked like the Spurs would cruise to an easy victory. Phoenix made it a game in the third quarter thanks to some errant turnovers and shaky defense from the Spurs, allowing the Suns to cut the lead to 10 points. After a well-timed Johnson timeout, the Spurs responded; well, Dylan Harper responded.
The sophomore guard went nuclear in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the period. They were a loud 14 points, as Harper scored nearly every possession from the 8-minute mark to the 4-minute mark. He got his mid-range jumper working and attacked the Suns relentlessly in the half-court. Eventually, the Spurs started to clear out and let Harper work as he elevated their lead to 20 points.
A 25-point third-quarter lead quickly ballooned to 30 early in the fourth quarter, causing those aforementioned cheers from the Suns faithful for Wembanyama. With 9 minutes to go in the game, garbage time began, when Tarris Reed Jr., Carter Bryant, Jordan McLaughlin, and David Jones-Garcia got to shine.
The win was the Spurs’ ninth straight, improving their record to 9-2. It was one of the season’s most dominant performances, and it came without Devin Vassell and Tobias Harris. San Antonio’s 0-2 start is firmly in the rearview mirror at this point. And with how this team is playing, it may be quite a while until the sky falls again.
