5-Games Old Victor Wembanyama Brings His Best to Smother Kevin Durant ? Key Takeaways From Suns-Spurs 2nd Encounter

The Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs battled out for the second time this season. Phoenix sought redemption after their earlier loss when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs took the game away from their hands. Coming into the game, the Suns had Devin Booker back in the lineup. Despite Booker’s impressive 31-point performance, the outcome echoed their previous meeting, with the Spurs securing a 132-121 victory; largely credited to Victor Wembanyama’s exceptional performance, marking his personal best.

The Suns faced a daunting 19-point deficit in the first quarter and encountered struggles throughout the entire game since then. Despite managing to level the score late in the fourth, Wembanyama and the Spurs swiftly wrested the game away.

Victor Wembanyama with a huge first-half

After some initial struggles to find his footing in the NBA, Wembanayama appeared more at ease than ever. In just 16 minutes during the first half, Victor Wembanyama impressively racked up 20 points, displaying composure in his scoring. Beyond his offensive prowess, Wembanyama showcased his two-way brilliance by contributing five rebounds, one steal, and a block.?By halftime, the Spurs had established a commendable 75-55 lead over the Suns.

As the final buzzer sounded, Wembanyama achieved a career-high 38 points in the game. Additionally, he contributed 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

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Throughout the game, Wembanyama displayed a Kevin Durant-like demeanor on the court; fearlessly taking and making crucial shots, even during the high-pressure moments of the game. Furthermore, he was also taking the technical free throws for the Spurs.

Phoenix Suns struggle with length

Throughout the game, the Suns’ struggle with height disparity became glaringly evident. During critical moments when the Suns pushed hard on offense, it appeared that their defense was unraveling with Wembanyama in the paint. Even when they assigned a big man, they seemed to have no solution for the Frenchman’s fluid off-ball movements on the court.

Wembanyama effortlessly converted multiple lobs from beyond the arc into easy buckets, appearing as the Achilles’ heel of the Suns. Ultimately, it disrupted their chemistry and intensified pressures on both ends of the floor. Even when Devin Booker went off a brief scoring spree late in the game, the Suns’ defense always came to bite back at them.

Moreover, the Spurs’ ability to create opportunities for Wemby undermined the Suns’ communication, resulting in a failed attempt to mount a comeback.

Role of the supporting cast

The Suns managed to score more efficiently than the Spurs, shooting an impressive 53 percent from the field and making 13 more trips to the free-throw line. However, the Spurs outpaced them by taking significantly more shot attempts, thanks to the efforts of their supporting cast. While the game was indeed a Wembanyama special, the Spurs benefited from timely contributions by other players.

Apart from KD and Book, Grayson Allen, Drew Eubanks, and Keita Bates-Diop posted double-digit scoring. Nevertheless, the three players seemed to fade into the background late in the game.

In contrast, the Suns had five players, apart from Wemby, reaching double digits on the scoreboard. They collectively grabbed 22 rebounds for the Spurs; overshadowing the 9 rebounds by Grayson, Drew, and Keita.

It’s worth noting that nobody on the Spurs, including Wembanyama (at least not yet), is a one-on-one player. However, this didn’t appear to be a concern for them. Together, the Spurs were backcutting the Suns’ consistently, preventing them from establishing a solid foundation.

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While the Suns have improved, especially with the addition of several new players and Jusuf Nurkic’s seamless integration with the star players, their performance against the Spurs suggests that they still have work to do in terms of chemistry and synergy. The film from this game will serve as a reminder of the intensity of those concerns.

After ending last season with a negative record, is the addition of Wemby going to push the Spurs to playoff contention? Leave your thoughts below.