First Game Without Sochan, Stephon Castle Powers Spurs Past Suns in Austin
Stephon Castle hit 8 of 11 shots from the field with four assists and three steals, all in only 21 minutes to lead the Spurs past the Phoenix Suns last night.
The reigning ROY led the Spurs with 20 points enroute to a 121-94 victory at the Moody Center in Austin in the team’s first game coming off the All-Star break.
It was the first game without Jeremy Sochan, whom the team released shortly before the break.
The Spurs (39-16) led 61-49 at halftime with the lead swelling to as many as 32 points as the team cruised to their seventh consecutive victory.
It was a balanced effort for the Spurs. V-Dub had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks while De’Aaron Fox added 15 points and eight assists in 22 minutes. The Silver and Black got big contributions from their bench as well. Dylan Harper chipped in 17 and Luke Kornet added 10 points and nine rebounds.
The seventh place Suns (32-24) for their part were without several key players. Leading scorer Devin Booker played only nine early minutes before exiting the game with right hip soreness.
Phoenix also was without the services of Dillon Brooks, who served a one-game suspension for receiving his 16th technical foul this season. Grayson Allen was out with an ankle injury as well.
Jalen Green led Phoenix with 26 points in just his eighth game of the season. Suns big man Mark Williams had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Heading into final stretch of the season the Spurs trail the first place Thunder by only 2.5 games. They’ve built a four game lead on the third place Denver Nuggets with 27 games remaining in the regular season. They basically control their own destiny.
If defense wins championships the team is positioned to contend as they continue to be one of the league’s best defensive squads.
The Spurs are top ten in the Association in two key defensive categories: opponents fg% and opponents points per game. They are holding opponents to only 46% from the field; which ranks fourth, while only giving up 112 points per game which ranks seventh in the league.
The team will look to pickup their ninth straight Saturday at the Moody Center as they continue their annual Rodeo Road Trip.
Up Next:
Vs Sacramento (12-45, Last place)
Saturday, 2/21 @ 7pm
