98 — 102
Phoenix’s first break became the game’s foundation
The game was still tight when Victor Wembanyama’s free throw put San Antonio ahead 10-9 with 8:51 left in the opening quarter. Phoenix answered with the sequence that shaped the rest of the evening. Kennard hit from deep, Green followed with back-to-back three-pointers, and Kennard finished the burst with a layup to turn a one-point deficit into a 20-10 lead in less than two minutes.
That early separation gave the Suns room to absorb every Spurs response. Phoenix closed the first quarter ahead 35-25, with Kennard already rolling and Green supplying quick offence from the perimeter and off the dribble. San Antonio trimmed the margin more than once in the second, most notably when Dylan Harper drilled a three to make it 42-37, but the Suns kept finding the next basket and took a 58-51 lead into halftime. Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin both scored in the final minutes before the break, helping Phoenix preserve the edge.
Every San Antonio push met a Phoenix answer
The Spurs’ best chance to flip the game came in the third quarter. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie opened the half with threes, and Wembanyama scored on a layup and an alley-oop finish to pull San Antonio within 65-61. For a moment, the game looked ready to turn. Instead, Phoenix restored order quickly. Khaman Maluach hit a three, Ryan Dunn added two free throws, Oso Ighodaro scored in the lane, and the Suns rebuilt the margin before Kennard’s late three sent them to the fourth quarter up 85-73.
San Antonio still had one more chase left. Ja'Kobi Gillespie connected from long range early in the fourth, and Tarris Reed Jr. produced a lively bench stretch with three straight field goals that helped cut the deficit to 91-86 with 6:50 to play. The Spurs were not going away, but Phoenix answered again. Haywood Highsmith buried a three, Jamaree Bouyea made two free throws, Koa Peat finished at the rim, and Duop Reath added a layup to push the lead out to 102-90 with 1:44 remaining.
The final margin tightened, but only after that cushion was built. Maliq Brown scored on a dunk and then knocked down two late threes, while Reed added two free throws to bring San Antonio within four. The rally made the scoreboard look uncomfortable for Phoenix, yet the Suns’ earlier work still stood up.
Our take
This was the kind of game where the box score tells a useful truth. San Antonio moved the ball well, finishing with 32 assists on 37 made field goals, and it won the rebounding battle 47-42. The Spurs also matched Phoenix closely in overall shooting volume, with both teams taking 87 shots. What swung the result was the cost of San Antonio’s mistakes. The Spurs committed 19 total turnovers, and Phoenix turned those into 21 points while collecting 11 steals. In a four-point game, that is not a side note; it is the result.
Phoenix also got the right blend of production from its most effective players. Kennard’s 20 points came on 8-of-15 shooting and gave the Suns their steadiest scoring hand. Green added 18 points and five assists, while Maluach paired 10 points with a game-high 15 rebounds. For San Antonio, Harper, Castle and Wembanyama all contributed across the stat sheet, and Reed gave the bench a real lift. The improvement point is straightforward rather than dramatic: if the Spurs protect the ball even a little better, the quality of the rest of their night gives them a stronger chance to finish the comeback.
Scoring moments
- 1st Quarter · 11:24
Jalen Green makes 14-foot step back jumpshot
- 1st Quarter · 11:02
Victor Wembanyama makes 4-foot alley oop dunk (Stephon Castle assists)
- 1st Quarter · 10:20
Stephon Castle makes 1-foot running dunk (Dylan Harper assists)
- 1st Quarter · 10:14
Dillon Brooks makes 24-foot three pointer
- 1st Quarter · 9:50
Dylan Harper makes 12-foot two point shot (Stephon Castle assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:30
Jalen Green makes 15-foot pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 9:18
Stephon Castle makes 26-foot three point jumper (Dylan Harper assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:00
Dillon Brooks makes 9-foot two point shot
- 1st Quarter · 8:51
Victor Wembanyama makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 8:10
Luke Kennard makes 24-foot three point jumper (Khaman Maluach assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:44
Jalen Green makes 29-foot three point jumper (Luke Kennard assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:31
Jalen Green makes 22-foot three point jumper (Luke Kennard assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:00
Luke Kennard makes 1-foot layup (Khaman Maluach assists)
- 1st Quarter · 6:27
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 6:27
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 6:14
Devin Vassell makes free throw 1 of 1
- 1st Quarter · 5:07
Devin Vassell makes 10-foot pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 4:07
Jordan Goodwin makes 24-foot three pointer (Oso Ighodaro assists)
- 1st Quarter · 3:54
Dylan Harper makes driving layup
- 1st Quarter · 3:32
Jordan Goodwin makes 23-foot three pointer
- 1st Quarter · 3:19
Dylan Harper makes 19-foot pullup jump shot (Luke Kornet assists)
- 1st Quarter · 3:01
Jalen Green makes driving layup (Dillon Brooks assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:45
Harrison Barnes makes 23-foot three point jumper (Keldon Johnson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:18
Luke Kennard makes 25-foot three point jumper (Oso Ighodaro assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:43
Luke Kennard makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Oso Ighodaro assists)
- 1st Quarter · 59.6
Julian Champagnie makes 23-foot three point jumper (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 1st Quarter · 35.6
Dylan Harper makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 35.6
Dylan Harper makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 11:43
Oso Ighodaro makes 3-foot dunk (Luke Kennard assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11:05
Victor Wembanyama makes 3-foot running dunk (Stephon Castle assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 10:31
Stephon Castle makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 10:31
Stephon Castle makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 10:02
Stephon Castle makes 4-foot dunk (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 9:42
Luke Kennard makes 16-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 9:23
Ryan Dunn makes 2-foot dunk (Jalen Green assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:33
Harrison Barnes makes 23-foot running jump shot (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:15
Jalen Green makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 7:33
Dylan Harper makes 25-foot three point jumper (Julian Champagnie assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:18
Luke Kennard makes driving layup (Jalen Green assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:43
Ryan Dunn makes 4-foot fade away jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 6:28
Dylan Harper makes 3-foot driving dunk (Luke Kornet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:01
Khaman Maluach makes 3-foot layup (Jalen Green assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:01
Khaman Maluach makes free throw 1 of 1
- 2nd Quarter · 5:48
Keldon Johnson makes 5-foot two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 4:13
Victor Wembanyama makes 5-foot two point shot (Devin Vassell assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 3:51
Keldon Johnson makes running layup (Stephon Castle assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 3:39
Jalen Green makes 25-foot three pointer
- 2nd Quarter · 3:03
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:03
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 2:50
Julian Champagnie makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 2:50
Julian Champagnie makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:59
Julian Champagnie makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:59
Julian Champagnie makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:41
Dillon Brooks makes 12-foot fade away jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 1:14
Jordan Goodwin makes two point shot (Dillon Brooks assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11.1
Victor Wembanyama makes 13-foot jumper (Dylan Harper assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 11:28
Luke Kennard makes 22-foot three point jumper (Jalen Green assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 11:06
Devin Vassell makes 25-foot three point jumper (Stephon Castle assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 10:05
Julian Champagnie makes 24-foot three point jumper (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 9:36
Khaman Maluach makes two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 9:07
Khaman Maluach makes 2-foot layup (Luke Kennard assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:45
Victor Wembanyama makes running layup (Julian Champagnie assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:05
Victor Wembanyama makes alley oop layup (Dylan Harper assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:21
Khaman Maluach makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jalen Green assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:56
Ryan Dunn makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 6:56
Ryan Dunn makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 6:49
Dylan Harper makes 5-foot two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 6:30
Oso Ighodaro makes 12-foot floating jump shot (Ryan Dunn assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:14
Stephon Castle makes 2-foot layup (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:09
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 4:56
Stephon Castle makes 2-foot dunk (Victor Wembanyama assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 4:41
Jalen Green makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 4:09
Collin Gillespie makes 4-foot layup (Oso Ighodaro assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 3:39
Dillon Brooks makes 3-foot two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 3:39
Dillon Brooks makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 3:19
Jordan McLaughlin makes 24-foot three point jumper (David Jones Garcia assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:22
Keldon Johnson makes 3-foot driving floating jump shot (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:06
Oso Ighodaro makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 1:45
Jordan McLaughlin makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 36.1
Luke Kennard makes 25-foot three point jumper (Oso Ighodaro assists)
- 4th Quarter · 11:37
Luke Kornet makes reverse layup (David Jones Garcia assists)
- 4th Quarter · 11:15
Oso Ighodaro makes driving layup (Jamaree Bouyea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 10:43
Luke Kornet makes driving layup (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 4th Quarter · 9:44
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes 29-foot three point jumper (David Jones Garcia assists)
- 4th Quarter · 8:40
Jamaree Bouyea makes driving layup
- 4th Quarter · 8:21
Tarris Reed Jr. makes 10-foot floating jump shot (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 4th Quarter · 7:56
Koby Brea makes two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 7:33
Tarris Reed Jr. makes 8-foot floating jump shot (Jon Elmore assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:50
Tarris Reed Jr. makes 6-foot hook shot (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:08
Haywood Highsmith makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot (Khaman Maluach assists)
- 4th Quarter · 4:48
Jamaree Bouyea makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:48
Jamaree Bouyea makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:19
Koa Peat makes 4-foot dunk (Koby Brea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 3:48
Tarris Reed Jr. makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 2:21
Duop Reath makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:21
Duop Reath makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 1:57
Maliq Brown makes 3-foot dunk (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:44
Duop Reath makes driving layup (Jamaree Bouyea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:28
Maliq Brown makes 23-foot three point jumper (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 4th Quarter · 46.7
Tarris Reed Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 46.7
Tarris Reed Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 11.2
Maliq Brown makes 26-foot three point jumper (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
San Antonio Spurs — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Champagnie | 25 | 10 | 2-7 | 2-6 | 4-4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -11 |
| Victor Wembanyama | 22 | 13 | 6-14 | 0-5 | 1-2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | -7 |
| Devin Vassell | 23 | 6 | 2-9 | 1-4 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -8 |
| Stephon Castle | 21 | 13 | 5-10 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | -2 |
| Dylan Harper | 24 | 15 | 6-9 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -14 |
| Harrison Barnes | 17 | 6 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| Keldon Johnson | 16 | 6 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| David Jones Garcia | 14 | 0 | 0-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Carter Bryant | 10 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +2 |
| Maliq Brown | 10 | 8 | 3-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +6 |
| Luke Kornet | 17 | 4 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Tarris Reed Jr. | 9 | 10 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | +3 |
| Jordan McLaughlin | 9 | 4 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 |
| Jon Elmore | 8 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +5 |
| RJ Davis | 4 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Ja'Kobi Gillespie | 11 | 3 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +5 |
Phoenix Suns — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Brooks | 24 | 15 | 4-11 | 1-4 | 6-7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | +10 |
| Ryan Dunn | 19 | 6 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +10 |
| Khaman Maluach | 23 | 10 | 4-9 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 4 | +14 |
| Luke Kennard | 25 | 20 | 8-15 | 4-10 | 0-0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +11 |
| Jalen Green | 29 | 18 | 7-12 | 3-5 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +12 |
| Haywood Highsmith | 12 | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8 |
| Oso Ighodaro | 21 | 8 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -4 |
| Koa Peat | 6 | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Rasheer Fleming | 19 | 0 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -7 |
| Duop Reath | 4 | 4 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 |
| Jordan Goodwin | 17 | 8 | 3-7 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | +1 |
| Collin Gillespie | 20 | 2 | 1-5 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +2 |
| Jamaree Bouyea | 12 | 4 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -8 |
| Koby Brea | 9 | 2 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
San Antonio Spurs — Team statistics
| FG | 37-87 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 43 |
| 3PT | 11-34 |
| Three Point % | 32 |
| FT | 13-15 |
| Free Throw % | 87 |
| Rebounds | 48 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 35 |
| Assists | 32 |
| Steals | 6 |
| Blocks | 6 |
| Turnovers | 19 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 20 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 23 |
| Fast Break Points | 19 |
| Points in Paint | 48 |
| Fouls | 15 |
| Largest Lead | 2 |
| Lead Changes | 6 |
| Percent Led | 3 |
Phoenix Suns — Team statistics
| FG | 38-87 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 44 |
| 3PT | 12-39 |
| Three Point % | 31 |
| FT | 14-16 |
| Free Throw % | 88 |
| Rebounds | 43 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 31 |
| Assists | 23 |
| Steals | 11 |
| Blocks | 6 |
| Turnovers | 15 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 16 |
| Technical Fouls | 1 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 14 |
| Fast Break Points | 11 |
| Points in Paint | 42 |
| Fouls | 22 |
| Largest Lead | 15 |
| Lead Changes | 6 |
| Percent Led | 94 |