Game Summary

Date: Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Final Score: Spurs 115 - 114 Suns

Record: 2-2

If you didn’t catch the game last night, it came down to the wire. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal were out of action which didnt seem to be a problem in the first half. It looked like the Suns were going to blow out the Spurs, opening up an 18 point lead going into halftime. But to the Spurs credit, they got themselves back in the game, all starting with a run about half way throught the 3rd quarter.

The Spurs were able to capitalize on sloppy turnovers and the Suns inability to make a basket and clawed there way to within 7. We then stretched it back out to 15 or so but at that point, it was to late, the Spurs were already feeling good. It was more of the same in the 4th quarter, with us unable to make a shot and continuously committing silly turnovers. This culminated in the final seconds of the game where the spurs pull within 1 with just under 7 seconds remaining. Instead of calling a timeout to advance the ball (we had 1 remaining), we opt for inbounding it to Kevin Durant trapped between two spurs players, the baseline and the sideline. Durant gets ripped and the spurs have an easy layup to put them ahead by 1 with just under 2 seconds remaining.

I really disagree with the decision we made not calling a timeout to advance the ball. Kevin Durant couldnt have been in a more disadvantageous position on the floor when we inbounded him the ball. You could say Durant thought the Spurs were going to intentionally foul him, but what was our plan if they didn’t? If we called a timeout, then we could have had a plan in case they didnt do what we thought they were going to do. You could argue Durant was fouled with a clear scratch across his face but we shouldn’t be relying on the referees to make a call when the game is on the line.

It’s discouraging to see us make these kinds of mistakes in a close game against an inexperienced team. I dont believe games against the bottom half of the league will be this close if Booker or Beal play. With that being said, we should capitalize on all the close game experience we can get so we are ready when facing againt the other title conenders like Denver, Boston or Milwaukee. And as a side note and something to pay more attention to is that are our high turnover numbers because we are still getting use to eachother or because we lack a true point guard.

Highlights

Victor Wembanyama

Last night, Suns fans got there first look at the french phenom, Victor Wembanyama and he looked good, about what I expected. There are very high expectatuions for him expecially considering all of the surrounding hype, but he is a 19 year old rookie transitioning from a foriegn country. He is going to have his ups and downs, for example he will go whole quarters without getting a shot up. But its when he shows us flashes of greatness, where we can really see how high his ceiling is. For example, he had a rip through and drive right on Kevin Durant at the top of the key, then took off a couple steps from the restricted area to posterize Drew Eubanks. It was spectacular, and the fluidity and control of his body while making these series didnt look awkward or gangly like how most tall lanky players look (aka Bol Bol).

Devin Vassell

As great as Wembanyama was last night, it was Devin Vassell who stole the show. He was hitting big shot after big shot, especially late in the fourth, he hit a step back three to keep it a one position game. He can have a terrible shot selection, as seen in his 3P% (33%), but he wasnt afraid of the moment and stepped up. The Spurs have a solid young core if they keep Wembanyama, Vassell, Sochan, and Johnson together and can definitely be a threat in the future.