Suns Stunned by Wembanyama-less Spurs in 'Unacceptable' Loss
The Phoenix Suns entered Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs with confidence, having just defeated the same opponent by 25 points two days prior. However, the absence of rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama did little to prevent an embarrassing 104-102 loss that left the Suns stunned and their star guard Bradley Beal fuming.
“It’s disappointment,” Beal told reporters after the game. “We came in here and laid an egg. We thought it was going to be easy with no Wemby. Just got our ass kicked. They came out aggressive, just like Coach told us they would, and we didn’t respond. Well, we did, but we didn’t withstand their punches.”
The loss dropped the Suns to 42-30 on the season and marked their third defeat in four attempts against the Western Conference’s last-place Spurs. Suns coach Frank Vogel didn’t mince words either, calling the performance “unacceptable.”
“It’s just unacceptable to lose that game,” Vogel said. “For our guys, we all said the right things. We all did the right preparation. But we didn’t play with the necessary focus in this position throughout, I would say, the first half.”
The Suns appeared to find their rhythm in the third quarter, but the Spurs countered with a 16-2 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth to seize control. Although Phoenix clawed back to take a late lead, Jeremy Sochan’s clutch three-pointer with 29.2 seconds left proved to be the dagger, giving San Antonio a 104-102 advantage they would not relinquish.
Sochan finished with a career-high 26 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Spurs’ valiant effort without their prized rookie. For the Suns, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow amid their tight battle to avoid the Western Conference play-in tournament.
“We knew they were going to play harder [than Saturday’s game] and we knew they were going to play with more focus,” Kevin Durant said. “They got momentum at the end of the third and kind of cruised from there. The game is about momentum.”
Injuries compounded Phoenix’s woes, as Beal exited with a sprained right ring finger, while starting center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a sprained right ankle. However, Devin Booker refused to make excuses for the Suns’ lackadaisical approach.
“I’m not into disrespecting our opponents,” Booker stated. “These guys are NBA guys. There are some talented young players over there. … We weren’t unprepared. We knew what to expect.”
With the toughest remaining schedule of any NBA team, featuring a .648 combined winning percentage over their final 10 games, the Suns have little room for error. When asked about the daunting stretch, Vogel remained defiant.
“We like our chances against anybody,” he said. “We don’t worry about the schedule.”
For now, the Suns must regroup and find the consistency and focus that has eluded them against seemingly overmatched opponents. As Beal’s scathing assessment made clear, such letdowns against teams missing their top talent are simply “unacceptable” for a championship contender.