After defeating the San Antonio Spurs over the weekend, the Phoenix Suns failed to repeat their feat on the away court. The visitors succumbed under the pressure against a Victor Wembanyama-less side leading to the 102-104 defeat. Following the defeat, Suns’ Devin Booker expressed his thoughts while refusing to undermine the opponent’s achievement.
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During a post-match interview with Azcentral’s Duane Rankin, the 4x All-Star voiced his opinion.
“I’m not into disrespecting opponents. These guys are NBA guys. They have some talented young players over there…We weren’t unprepared, we knew what to expect,” the 27-year-old mentioned.
The words showcased Booker’s respect for the Spurs as they stuck together throughout the game. Without the services of their talismanic rookie, the young core went toe-to-toe with the Suns as the second half became a cagey encounter. However, the hosts outscored the away side by five points in the half to eventually come out victorious.
The Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan acted as a catalyst behind this with his double-double. As per StatMuse, the 20-year-old registered 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 1 assist while leading his side to the triumph. He also scored a clutch three-pointer from the wing with 29.2 seconds left to play to put his team ahead by two points. In the end, the endeavor defined the outcome of the game as the Suns failed to capitalize in the last few moments of the clash.
Despite this team effort earning the respect of Devin Booker, the Suns’ head coach Frank Vogel had a different stance. In the post-match conference, he expressed his disbelief, stating, “It’s unacceptable to lose that game for our guys. We all set the right things. We all did the right preparation. But we didn’t play with the necessary focus in this position”.
The frustration remained justified as the defeat served as a major blow to their momentum. Despite winning three consecutive clashes, the Suns failed to maintain cement their position in the direct qualification spot. With a 42-30 record, they are currently at the 8th position as the franchise aims to improve their form to avoid a play-in scenario.
