'Unacceptable' loss, more injuries: Takeaways from Spurs stunning Suns without Victor Wembanyama

SAN ANTONIO — Inexcusable for a playoff team. Frank Vogel called the loss unacceptable.

Either way, it's a bad look for the Phoenix Suns.

They had a chance to bring some major momentum into Wednesday’s showdown at defending NBA champion Denver with a win Monday over a San Antonio Spurs team they just beat by 25 points two days ago.

San Antonio was without its best player in rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was sidelined with a left ankle sprain as he tweaked it in Saturday’s lopsided loss to the Suns.

The Suns instead yielded a 16-0 run that stretched from the late third quarter into the fourth to fall behind by nine points only to rally to take a late lead only to lose, 104-102, before a crowd of 18,044 at Frost Bank Center.

.Jeremy Sochan hit the game-winning 3 with 29.2 seconds for the Spurs (16-56), who won the season series, 3-1, over the Suns (42-30). Sochan was 0-for-6 from 3 before splashing the biggest one of the night as Royce O'Neale helped off him to help Booker with Devin Vassell, who made the pass to Sochan for the shot.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each missed 3s at the end. Booker found Durant, who was 4-of-5 from 3 before that final misfire. Booker then gathered up the offensive rebound as two Spurs couldn't corral the ball, jumped to take a two in the lane, but kicked it out to Durant at the 3-point line.

Durant then found Booker, who took the final 3 fading backward with 1.7 seconds left while Grayson Allen, the NBA's top 3-point shooter, was open on the wing.

For the Suns to even be in that position is a sign of an inconsistent team that can win in Denver without Booker and top Minnesota, but lose three out of four to San Antonio, the worst team in the Western Conference.

Booker scored a game-high 36 points with 18 coming in the fourth while Durant dropped 29, hitting 4-of-6 from 3. Vassell and Sochan each scored 26 points to lead the Spurs, which snapped Phoenix's three-game win streak.

Here are takeaways from Monday's loss as the Suns have fallen from sixth to eighth in the West. If the playoffs started today, they'd have to play at Dallas in the 7-8 game for the seventh seed.

The loser would host the Lakers-Warriors winner in the 9-10 game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

'If I knew, that wouldn't happen'

Vogel said the Suns were prepared for the game. Clearly they weren't, falling behind by 11 in the first quarter to a team that they were up 30-plus points on just two days ago.

He said the Suns weren't as focused as they need to be. That's true, but Vogel said he doesn't know why that was the case.

"If I knew, that wouldn't happen," Vogel said.

Vogel's got to find out why and like right now, not later. The Suns have had too many of these types of games for a team that came into the season with championship expectations, is spending over the second tax apron with salaries and made a trade right before the deadline to improve the roster for the postseason.

The turnovers are one thing and it's an ongoing issue, but there seemed to be a lack of communication that led to mistakes on both sides of the ball. The head coach doesn't play the game, but part of his job is to get the team to understand what it can and can't do.

Yes, Vogel stressed for them to be ready for the Spurs. He even said after Saturday's win that San Antonio would come out with more energy. The Spurs were on the second of a back-to-back Saturday.

If the players aren't carrying out the message or not taking heed to the message well enough, that's a problem.

To start the game down double digits to a team that was without its best player, that's a problem. The only thing that could've been worse was to get run out of the arena. That didn't happen.

So there's some fight to this team, which is why they're the most perplexing squad in the NBA. Right now, Vogel is in the center of that and is running out of time this season to figure out why this has been a recurring thing.

Injuries, toughest remaining schedule

The Suns didn't even get through Monday's game with a clean injury report before having two starters go down.

Jusuf Nurkic suffered a right ankle sprain as he stepped on Sochan's foot and rolled it. He checked out with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter and didn't return. The 7-footer ended the game with six points on 3-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes.

Then Bradley Beal sprained his right ring finger on his shooting hand with 2:51 left and the Suns were up two, 99-97. In extreme pain, Beal came with his arm dangling and he had difficulty squeezing his right hand.

Beal said after the game the Suns have been wrapping the finger for "a few games," but thinks he got it caught in likely a Spurs jersey. He continued by saying the finger that was noticeably swollen felt better and the plan is for him to play Wednesday.

Nurkic has been playing through injuries all season. So it wouldn't be surprising if he tried to go again, especially when facing his former team in a matchup versus two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

The Suns sure could use everybody to close out a schedule that's the toughest remaining one in the league by a landslide. Phoenix's 10 remaining opponents have a winning percentage of .647. Charlotte is the next closest at .594.

Phoenix's final three games of this five-game road trip are against Denver (51-21), Oklahoma City (49-21), the top two teams in the West, and New Orleans (44-27), which has moved up to fourth in the West.

The Suns follow that with a four-game homestand versus Cleveland (44-28), Minnesota (49-22), New Orleans again for a third and final time and the Clippers (44-27). They conclude the regular season on the road against the Clippers in the second of a back-to-back, Sacramento (42-29) and Minnesota for a third and final time.

Phoenix is 1-0 versus the Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Pelicans, but 1-1 against the Nuggets, 2-2 versus the Kings and 0-2 against the Thunder and Clippers.

That is an insanely hard schedule, one that could keep them in the play-in. Phoenix knew this was coming weeks ago, which is why Monday's loss is one of the worst to have.

They were facing a team that not only was without its best player, but the Suns knew the Spurs were going to play with greater energy than Saturday night when it was the second of a back-to-back for San Antonio.

To fall under those circumstances?

Again, bad look.

Turnovers, refs again for Booker

Phoenix isn't in this game without Booker's 36 points with 18 coming in the fourth. He had six rebounds, four assists and three blocks, too, but the five turnovers proved costly.

Two came in San Antonio's 16-0 run as Blake Wesley turned one into a transition dunk to pull San Antonio within five with 1:44 left in the third. That play actually started the run.

Then with Phoenix down five, Booker had his fifth and final turnover that led to Durant fouling Sochan, who hit two free throws to give the Spurs a nine-point advantage, 97-88, with 5:10 left.

The Suns responded with a 14-4 run to take a 102-101 lead with Booker scoring the final seven of the run before Sochan's 3 won it for the Spurs.

There are two things that have typically tripped up Booker.

Turnovers and taking issues with the referees.

Both are controllable, but he tends to let the whistle get under his skin to the point it impacts his game. He usually climbs his way out of and did so in the fourth, but those stretches take him out of his game and that hurts the Suns just as much as the turnovers.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Unacceptable': Takeaways from Spurs stunning Suns minus Victor Wembanyama