There was little the San Antonio Spurs could do against the Phoenix Suns in a 131-106 loss Saturday night. Just ask their head coach.
“They [the Spurs] did the best they could. I thought we had a little more contact and physicality in the second half,” head coach Gregg Popovich said. “But you're not going to stop [Devin Booker] and [Kevin Durant] from doing what they're doing, and [Bradley Beal] is healthy now,”
“That's a pretty tough trio,” Popovich continued. “Our guys did everything they could, and you move on.”
It echoed what the Hall of Fame coach said nearly two hours before the Spurs took the court for what ended up serving as their 56th loss through 71 games this season.
“I already know those guys. I know what they do and we're not going to stop them from doing it,” the winningest coach in the NBA said during a time period set aside for pregame availability,” Popovich said. “As far as stopping them or something like that, it's pretty difficult to do. You're talking about basically three Olympians and three All-Stars and could end up in the Hall of Fame.”
Popovich's comments sandwiched a dominating night for the Suns.
Spurs post-game
Pop pretty basic.
Not too much to say following that loss to the Suns…⬇️#Spurs #GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/RGtJ7S4FXr
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) March 24, 2024
Suns flex their muscle vs. struggling Spurs
Entering the night at 41-29 to start the night, Phoenix took a nine point lead in San Antonio after the first quarter. It grew to 18 by the half. When the fourth quarter rolled around, the Spurs found themselves down 32.
“They're a great team. They've got a chance to win the Finals. Great teams like that execute. They defend and they get the job done,” Spurs guard Blake Wesley told ClutchPoints.
Spurs post-game
Asked Blake Wesley if once the Suns got them down, the deficit was just too big to overcome for the #Spurs …
“We’re trying to get to where they are…”#GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/Ucz60YDSrN
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) March 24, 2024
“It's just everybody on the team,” Suns star Devin Booker said of his squad's third straight victory. “Defense, we found a rhythm and that directly translates on the offensive side of the ball. I want to get in a place, and we have a lot to work on, but I want to be taking steps in the right direction.”
Booker led all scorers with 32 points. Fellow superstar Devin Durant added 25.
“It’s great. That’s what you want them all to look like when you get an early lead,” Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said. “To keep your foot on the gas, play the third quarter the way we did, go for a knockout punch, which we did and just play a really solid 48 minutes.”
Now 42-29, it marked the Suns first win this season against a Spurs squad that's managed just 15 victories on the campaign.
The Silver and Black made just nine of the 33 three-pointers they took in the 25-point loss. For the game, they shot 39% compared to 60% for Phoenix.
“Keep shooting. We've been shooting the ball well. Just because we’ve missed a few doesn't mean we need to stop shooting,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson responded to the team's woes. “When we hit shots, it will open up for [Victor Wembanyama]. So, we're just going to keep shooting, keep taking good attempts, and keep moving the ball so we can get those good attempts. Eventually, it will fall.”
While that may be the case most nights, that may not have actually been enough vs. the Suns. Not on Saturday.
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