Spurs Pull Away From Shorthanded Suns 123-103 Behind Wembanyama's Efficient Night
A 38-26 second quarter built on free throws and Phoenix's cold shooting turned a one-point game into a preseason rout at Frost Bank Center.
Preseason scorelines rarely tell you much, but how a team wins can — and on Wednesday the San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 123-103 at Frost Bank Center by doing the unglamorous things: getting to the line, defending without fouling, and letting their depth do the rest, per the Bright Side of the Sun recap.
The second quarter decided it
Both teams opened ice-cold — a combined 4-for-21 start — and Phoenix actually led 23-22 after one. Then San Antonio outscored the Suns 38-26 in the second, going a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line in the quarter while Phoenix committed nine fouls to the Spurs' four and missed all six of its second-quarter threes. A 60-49 halftime lead grew to 92-75 after three, peaking at 25.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4 blocks, finishing plus-10 without needing a heavy workload. Stephon Castle added 18 points — 14 of them at the line — and Carter Bryant poured in 16 off the bench on 4-of-7 from three. San Antonio also debuted a three-guard lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Castle, according to ESPN.
Phoenix rested its core
The Suns sat Devin Booker, Miles Bridges, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro, handing the night to the kids. Ryan Dunn made the most of it with 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field plus two blocks, and Jamaree Bouyea matched him with 15 points and 8 assists. The sour note: Luke Kennard left in the second quarter and did not return, with coach Jordan Ott citing a sore left knee.
Phoenix closes its preseason at home against Utah on Friday; San Antonio's new three-guard look now has one game of film — and a 20-point margin — to build on.