San Antonio Spurs (39-17) beat Phoenix Suns (32-24) 121-94 at home on Thursday, February 19. The final margin was 27 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-25 and a 5-point lead after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 31-24 second quarter, carrying a 12-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 37-22 to create some separation, taking a 27-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 23 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Spurs closed regulation with a 121-94 lead.
Why it was lopsided
The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 59.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 42.9% for the Suns. The Spurs made 20.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 3.8 for the Suns. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Suns did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 32.8% against 28.9%. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 123.8 points per 100 possessions to 96.2 for the Suns.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 52-31.
Who stood out
Victor Wembanyama was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 17 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 5 blk on 7-15 shooting. His Game Score of 18.9 led everyone. His team was +23 with him on the floor.
Jalen Green led the Suns with 26 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl on 11-23 shooting, good for a 16.2 Game Score.
Victor Wembanyama (17 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) and Mark Williams (11 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Spurs about a 78% chance.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Phoenix Suns lead 4-1.
The Spurs are now 39-17, and the Suns are 32-24. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.