Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Kevin Durant. He scored on a breakaway dunk with 1.2 seconds to play as the visiting San Antonio Spurs scored the final six points to beat the Phoenix Suns 115-114 on Tuesday in the first contest of a two-game set between the teams over three days. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Spurs, who trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half before making a series of big plays to come out on top.
Rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama led the way for the Spurs with 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Devin Vassell added 18 points, and Johnson finished with 27 as the Spurs won for the first time on the road this season. The Suns were led by Durant’s 26 points and Eric Gordon’s 20, with Grayson Allen adding 19 on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. The Suns were playing without injured starting guards Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.
The first quarter was all about the Suns, who jumped out to a 22-12 lead after a putback dunk by Jakob Poeltl. They expanded the lead to 27 points before the end of the period and carried a 63-45 advantage into the break.
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After the break, the Spurs’ struggles continued as they allowed 13 straight points in the third quarter. Things got worse in the fourth, as the Suns outscored them by 16 points in just over seven minutes. Wembanyama, however, stepped up and played a massive role in the team’s comeback. He hit a jumper and threw a sensational over-the-head dunk, giving the Spurs hope.
With just under a minute remaining, the Suns inbounded the ball to Durant in the corner, but Johnson double-teamed him and denied him the chance to get to the rim for a shot. Durant then missed a 10-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer that would have given the Suns a one-point lead.
The Spurs’ defense dominated the final six minutes of the game as they prevented the Suns from scoring a single point and won for the first time this season on the road. The win ended the team’s nine-game losing streak against the Suns, the longest in franchise history. The teams will meet again on Thursday in Phoenix. The Suns will continue to miss Booker and Beal, who are preparing to return from injuries. Both players have resumed some on-court activities in practice but have not been cleared for full-contact drills. The injury-prone duo is expected to be back in action by the start of next week. —By Malika Andrews. Follow @MalikaAndrews_NBA. NBC Sports NBA daily roundups provide all the essential news and notes from around the league, updated early Monday mornings (weekdays) and late Sunday evenings. NBC Sports’ NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski contributes. Subscribe Today! NBC Sports Radio is available on SiriusXM Channel 271 and in the Google Play Store.
