Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns – Game #72
Jeremy Sochan was the hero versus the Suns (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, as they are historically known to do. This season, the Spurs are 3-1 against the Suns and 13-55 against the rest of the NBA.
Coming out of the gates, Phoenix looked flat and San Antonio looked focused — even though the good guys were playing without their goodest guy, Victor Wembanyama (ankle). At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs were up 29-22.
The Suns showed a few signs of life in the middle two periods. However, the Spurs hung around and then went on a 16-0 run that started in the third quarter and continued into the fourth quarter.
With five minutes remaining, the Spurs were up nine points. The Suns responded with a 12-2 run to take the lead. The Spurs and Suns traded the lead a couple times before a three-pointer by Jeremy Sochan with 29 seconds remaining gave the Spurs a 104-102 advantage. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker missed shots on the other end and the Spurs held on for a two-point victory.
Overall, it was a good win for the Spurs — especially after getting annihilated by this same Suns team on Saturday. Sure, this game was mostly about the Suns trying to casually coast to a victory and getting burned … but the Spurs did their part by playing hard and playing smart.
Stats: Spurs vs. Suns
Spurs vs. Suns – Final Grades
Devin Vassell
I didn’t like how Vassell played on Saturday night against the Suns. I felt he was selfish and single-handedly hurt the team’s offensive rhythm. Tonight was totally different. Vassell played completely under control. Even though he didn’t shoot the straightest (11-for-24 from the field, 2-for-9 on threes), I liked his shot-selection. The Spurs needed Vassell to carry a large load and he did just that. Beyond his scoring, he was also passing the ball really well and made plays for others. Perhaps the brightest spot on his stat sheet is the zero in his turnover column. Despite being in the middle of the action all night long, he took care of the ball. Defensively, Vassell was really good. He made plays when in isolation situations and supplied timely help defense.
Grade: A
Jeremy Sochan
This was one of Sochan’s best games of his career. Let’s start with his defense. He spent time on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and did admirable work. He used his size and length well to muddy the airspace around those two superstars. Sochan also pulled down 16 defensive rebounds on his way to 18 total rebounds. Offensively, he was 9-for-12 from two-point range and 5-for-5 from the line. From driving with physicality to the rim to taking advantage of open mid-range jumpers, Sochan was making the most of his opportunities — and he too finished without a turnover. After beginning the game 0-for-6 from three-point land, he hit the game-winning three-pointer without showing a moment of hesitation. We’ve seen a lot of games this year where Sochan misses multiple threes and then his entire outing derails. This evening, he didn’t let that happen. He kept his chin up, kept shooting and ended up hitting the biggest bucket of the game.
Grade: A
Zach Collins
Filling in for Wembanyama, Collins did decent work. He took advantage of mismatches on his way to scoring 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He missed all three of his three-pointers and had three of San Antonio’s seven turnovers but Collins’ interior shot-making and his passing helped balance out the negatives. Defensively, he didn’t rebound the best or do a particularly good job of guarding the hoop — but he exhibited some toughness and stayed out of foul trouble. Collins was far from great but he definitely did enough to allow the Spurs to hang around.
Grade: B
Tre Jones
To say Jones was quiet during his 27 minutes of playing time would be an understatement. He had two points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field. He didn’t attempt a three-pointer and had only four assists. Jones was oddly passive on offense, particularly in open court scenarios. Defensively, he did well to not be a liability. Jones didn’t do anything particularly well on that end, though. The Spurs won but it’d be difficult to argue that their starting point guard played an important role in securing the victory.
Grade: D+
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie wasn’t as one-dimensional as we’ve witnessed lately. He missed both of his three-pointers but managed to help out by hitting a couple of free throws and going 2-for-3 from within the arc. Defensively, Champagnie once again was deceptively good. His D in the last couple weeks has taken a step forward.
Grade: B
Keldon Johnson
Good stuff from Johnson. I thought he did a great job of picking his spots versus Phoenix. He hit both of his three-point tries and attacked the rim with purpose. Johnson also kept his head up better than usual, which resulted in him finishing with five assists. Plus, just like Vassell and Sochan, Johnson managed to finish the game without a turnover. Defensively, while he took a couple of questionable risks, Johnson’s hustle on that end was consistent and that allowed him to come up with some key contests.
Grade: A-
Blake Wesley
Wesley’s play was definitely part of the reason why the Spurs won this game. His energy on defense was contagious and his athleticism stood out against a Suns team that was mostly going through the motions. Wesley’s individual defense and his help-defense awareness were both better than normal. Offensively, while he missed a few easy shots, Wesley kept the pedal to the metal and created a lot of good looks. All in all, this was a mature outing from the youngster.
Grade: A-
Dominick Barlow
His numbers appear to be yawn-worthy but I thought Barlow did pretty well. His mobility on defense was helpful. The Spurs could switch more easily when he was on the floor, which made life more difficult for the Suns. Offensively, Barlow made the right passes and understood what the Spurs were trying to do. (He hit a three-pointer but it was later taken away when the replay showed he stepped out of bounds.)
Grade: B-
Cedi Osman
Osman played with energy, knocked down a pair of threes and kept the ball moving. He had some painfully bad moments on defense but he didn’t let that stop him from competing. Osman bringing liveliness to the court was valuable in and of itself.
Grade: B
Malaki Branham
Branham got no minutes in the second half after playing horrendous basketball in the first half. Watching him on offense was painful. He forced shots that he clearly didn’t really want to shoot. Branham has to score to be valuable but it’d be nice if shot the ball with at least an ounce of confidence. Defensively, Branham was equally as bad.
Grade: F
Pop
Pop has to be happy with this win. Playing without Wembanyama, the best of the rest did a great job of taking care of the ball. The defensive effort was solid. The execution down the stretch was impressive. I really liked the nine-man rotation in the second half. Pop rolling with Wesley for extra minutes was also a game-changer.
Grade: A-