San Antonio's Shooting and Rebounding Break Phoenix Open
San Antonio won by combining a 37%-23% advantage from three with a 50-36 edge on the glass, overcoming Phoenix's 64-48 advantage in paint scoring. After trailing 23-22 after the first quarter, San Antonio outscored Phoenix 38-26 in the second to take a 60-49 halftime lead, then opened the third with an 8-0 run that stretched the margin to 19. Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting with 4 blocks, while Stephon Castle added 18 points and Carter Bryant scored 16. San Antonio won despite committing 21 turnovers to Phoenix's 17 and being outscored 18-11 in fast-break points. Pasted text
Game flow
When the lead changed
PHXSA
PHX led by as many as 6 · SA led by as many as 25 · 3 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1
PHX23
SA22
PHX won by 1
Q2Biggest margin
PHX26
SA38
SA won by 12
Q3
PHX26
SA32
SA won by 6
Q4
PHX28
SA31
SA won by 3
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Final lead changeQ2 · 2:52
San Antonio Spurs went ahead and did not trail again.
PHX 45–SA 46
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
Phoenix Suns
PHX
Leading scorerRyan Dunn
15PTS2REB0AST1STL2BLK
Impact contributorJamaree Bouyea
15PTS4REB8AST1STL0BLK
Impact contributorKennedy Chandler
10PTS0REB2AST1STL2BLK
San Antonio Spurs
SA
Leading scorerVictor Wembanyama
19PTS4REB3AST2STL4BLK
Impact contributorDevin Vassell
12PTS6REB2AST3STL1BLK
Impact contributorStephon Castle
18PTS4REB3AST0STL0BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
Three-point shootingWinner edge
San Antonio Spurs had a 14 percentage points edge in three-point shooting.
PHX 23%SA 37%
Total reboundsWinner edge
San Antonio Spurs had a 14 edge in total rebounds.
PHX 36SA 50
BlocksWinner edge
San Antonio Spurs had a 2 edge in blocks.
PHX 8SA 10
Setbacks
Points in the paintOpponent edge
San Antonio Spurs trailed in points in the paint by 16.
PHX 64SA 48
TurnoversOpponent edge
San Antonio Spurs committed 4 more turnovers than Phoenix Suns.
PHX 17SA 21
Fast-break pointsOpponent edge
San Antonio Spurs trailed in fast-break points by 7.
PHX 18SA 11
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
6 signals
Three-point shooting
San Antonio held a 14-percentage-point advantage from three, providing a major perimeter scoring edge despite Phoenix's advantage inside.
PHX23%
SA37%
Rebounding
San Antonio controlled the glass by 14 rebounds, including a 38-28 advantage on defensive rebounds.
PHX36
SA50
Second-quarter scoring
After trailing by one after the first quarter, San Antonio won the second by 12 points and took an 11-point lead into halftime.
PHX26
SA38
Overall shooting
San Antonio finished with a modest overall field-goal percentage advantage while holding a much larger edge from three.
PHX46%
SA49%
Free-throw shooting
San Antonio also held a 6-percentage-point advantage at the free-throw line, with Stephon Castle making 14 of 15 attempts.
PHX80%
SA86%
Editorial turning point
PHX 23-22 SA → SA 60-49 PHX
Phoenix led by one entering the second quarter, but San Antonio outscored Phoenix 38-26 in the period to take an 11-point halftime lead. Phoenix never regained the lead after that quarter, and San Antonio extended the advantage with an 8-0 run to begin the third.
This game’s Winning DNA
How San Antonio Spurs got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
San Antonio Spurs
3PT Shooting
45%
Rebounding
40%
Superstar Performance
15%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.
Team Comparison
Phoenix Suns103 PTSVSFrost Bank CenterSan Antonio Spurs123 PTS
42-92
FG
40-81
7-31
3PT
13-35
12-15
FT
30-35
36
REB
50
25
AST
25
12
STL
10
8
BLK
10
17
TO
21
The Debate
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