The San Antonio Spurs look to build on their impressive eight-game winning streak and stay perfect on the road when they square off against the Phoenix Suns on Monday in the third of a four-game road trip.
Both teams are still learning about each other as the NBA season rolls into its fourth week but, of the two, San Antonio, the defending Western Conference champion, is ahead in that pursuit.
The Spurs head to the Valley of the Sun after walloping the Trail Blazers in Portland 125-103 on Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back that started Friday with a 124-109 victory in Sacramento over the Kings.
San Antonio got 29 points and seven rebounds from Victor Wembanyama in just three quarters in Saturday’s win as the Spurs took a 33-point lead into the final period and cruised with their starters on the bench. Devin Vassell added 15 points and Stephon Castle had 14 points for San Antonio in the victory while reserve Julian Champagnie also scored 14 points, Dylan Harper had 13 points and Keldon Johnson hit for 10.
“Depth is one of our strengths,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “The hard part at times is that there are groups that haven’t still played together much or certain combinations. We will be better once we know how everyone can work best together.”
San Antonio is 4-0 in true road contests this season, with a winning margin of 14.8 points per game.
“We’ve been tested in a couple of ways, but there’s still many ways that remain for us to be tested,” Wembanyama said. “We’re in a great spot, 10 games in. Season goes by quick. We’re building. We’re trending upwards. Everybody’s figuring out the roles. Everybody’s getting in shape, getting into the rhythm of the season.”
The Suns return to the court after a 102-99 victory at home over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Devin Booker scored a game-high 24 points, including nine consecutive points late in the fourth quarter as Phoenix won its second straight outing after a four-game losing streak.
Jalen Green recorded 16 points for the Suns, with Miles Bridges posting a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Dillon Brooks and Luke Kennard scoring 11 apiece.
Phoenix led by 19 points with 8:38 left in the second quarter before the game was tied at 47 at halftime. The Suns eventually pulled out the victory and snapped an eight-game losing streak against Houston.
Despite the early lead on Saturday, the Suns scored just 12 points in the second period.
“I feel like we’ve lost every way possible,” Booker said. “This is a good reference point to where if we start a game hot and a team brings it back, we still have life (and) there’s still another half of basketball left.”
Monday’s clash with the Spurs is the fourth of a season-high seven-game homestand for Phoenix. The teams won’t see each other again until two contests in the Alamo City on March 29 and 31.
“It’s important — we’re learning,” Booker said after Saturday’s win. “We’re trying new lineups, and we’re in the ‘figuring it out’ stage right now. Obviously, we have stuff to learn from in this game, but it always feels better when we’re learning in a win.”
