PHOENIX – Losing Kevin Durant to an ankle injury for the second half, the Phoenix Suns were able to hold onto the lead and win 104-93 over the San Antonio Spurs.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Scoring his 15,000th point with the Suns (12-8), Devin Booker had a special night with both making history and netting 29 points in the game. Tyus Jones finished with 16 points, and both Bradley Beal and Royce O’Neale posted 10 each.
Here are the key takeaways from the Suns’ win over the Spurs:
-Setting the tone early, the Suns opened up the game with an 11-0 run which was started with a historic bucket. By scoring a mid-range jumper just 23 seconds in, Devin Booker notched the 15,000th point in his NBA career. He joined Walter Davis as the only other Suns player to reach such a feat in franchise history.
Devin Booker’s (@DevinBook) shot for 15k career points, all with the Suns ☀️.
????@jrussellTV #SunsUp #NBA #PorVida https://t.co/p9OfX6MyYg pic.twitter.com/XhJuuBZgJ5
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) December 4, 2024
-Spending three seasons (2020-23) in the Valley, Spurs guard Chris Paul was welcomed back to Footprint Center by the Suns faithful with a standing ovation when the starting lineup. Contributing in facets other than making shots, Paul eclipsed two points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
-With Jusuf Nurkić sidelined with a right thigh contusion, Oso Ighodaro started his second-ever NBA game and was backed up by Mason Plumlee. The Chandler native Ighodaro had seven points, three rebounds and two steals while Plumlee tallied six points, six rebounds and a steal.
-Going 5-for-8 (62.5%) overall and a perfect 2-for-2 from 3, Durant’s night abruptly came to an end as he suffered a left calf strain in the first half. He appeared to roll his ankle and didn’t return after that moment.
-After a 19-point performance tagged along with nine rebounds, Tyus Jones continued his hot scoring touch with 16 points. Known for his all-around game, he also distributed four assists.
-Off the bench, Spurs guard Devin Vassell provided a spark for his team, scoring 25 points from 10-of-14 (71.4%) shooting and 4-of-5 (80%) from 3. Vassell, who has only played six games this season due to a left knee contusion, is averaging 16.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds.
-Since this was a must-win game for the Suns if they wanted any shot at advancing to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup, seeing Spurs’ generational talent Victor Wembanyama struggle mightily helped those efforts. Having a first half he would like to forget, Wembanyama was held scoreless through the first two quarters as he was 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-6 from behind the arch. The French sensation shook off the rust in the second half, getting 15 points.
-Dominating in the first half, the Suns saw their 52-39 lead shrink to just three at one point. Missing the last 13 games for San Antonio, Jeremy Sochan (left thumb proximal phalanx surgery) returned with a vengeance, racking up 14 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
-Stepping in for the injured Durant, Ryan Dunn and Royce O’Neale swapped for each other for the remainder of the game. One of the most consistent Suns this season, O’Neale was as effective as ever, producing 10 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal. Dunn subbed in and pitched in with three points and four rebounds.
-As a team, the deep ball was not falling for the Spurs from 3. At one stretch, San Antonio was a horrid 3-for-32 (9.4%) and ended with being 8-for-44 (18.4%), four made from Vassell. Wembanyama was 1-for-9 (11.1%).
-Even with a win, the Suns were eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup after the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Dallas Mavericks 121-116 on Tuesday. With a wild card spot up for grabs, Phoenix needed Dallas to lose because they both had a 3-1 record, but the Mavericks had the point differential tiebreaker with a +46 compared to a +29 by the Suns.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
