Devin Booker scored 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and handed out five assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 104-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs in NBA Cup action on Tuesday night.
The Suns won their third game in the last four, despite losing Kevin Durant in the second half. Durant sprained his left ankle in the second quarter, scoring 13 points in 16 and a half minutes before leaving the game.
Booker’s first basket of the game put him over 15,000 career points, and he ended the night with 15,028.
Tyus Jones added 16 points for the Suns, who finished 3-1 in West Group B play. The Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) won the group due to a head-to-head win over the Suns, leaving Phoenix hoping for a wild-card spot.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting off the bench, and Stephon Castle contributed 16 points for the Spurs, who lost only their second game in seven outings.
Victor Wembanyama was 6 of 18 from the field, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists for the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan had 14 points, and Keldon Johnson added 10 points for San Antonio.
Bradley Beal and Royce O’Neale scored 10 points each for the Suns, who shot 48.7 percent from the field and made 11 of 32 3-pointers.
The Spurs struggled, making only 8 of 44 3-pointers and shooting 35 percent overall.
Wembanyama was just 1 of 9 from beyond the arc. He didn’t score in the first half, missing all seven of his shots, including six 3-pointers, as the Spurs trailed by 13. However, he found his rhythm early in the third quarter, scoring nine points in the first 2:21.
Castle later made two free throws, bringing San Antonio within 59-57 with 7:34 left in the third quarter.
But O’Neale and Jones answered with 3-pointers, and Jones added two free throws, ending the Spurs’ 8-0 run and giving Phoenix a 10-point lead with 4:16 remaining.
The Suns led 75-71 going into the fourth quarter, where Booker scored the last five points of a 7-0 run to push the lead to 11.
Phoenix extended their lead to 17 more than four minutes later and cruised to the win.
Durant had 13 points, Booker scored 12, and Jones added 11 as the Suns led 52-39 at halftime. Vassell scored 12 points in the first half for San Antonio, which made just 2 of 20 3-pointers in the half.
