Spurs: Play Portland on Thursday in Austin, Texas. No matter what happens, they’ll figure out what they need to do.” Now you can double-team him, and he’s smart enough to give it up. Popovich coached the Olympic gold-medal team in 2021 and saw Durant from the same bench. Kick ‘em in the butt when necessary, put an arm around them and love ’em when necessary. He’s going to do the same things, have the same standards, the same accountability. No matter who’s playing, Popovich said of Williams, “He’s gonna coach. Popovich may not have enjoyed Tuesday’s result, but he too admires what Williams and the Suns have done. ![]() “I’m grateful that I get to tell people outside of basketball that I know Gregg Popovich as a man, as a mentor, as a friend.” “I just enjoy seeing him and I’m grateful for the history I have with him,” the Suns coach said before the game. ![]() Williams played for Popovich with the Spurs and coached under him as well. The Spurs got within nine in the third quarter, but by the end of the period Phoenix was back ahead 97-76. Paul made 7 of 8 shots in the half to lead the Suns with 18 points while Booker scored 14, all in the first quarter. That’s the most the Suns have scored in the first quarter this season, passing the 40 points against Chicago on March 3. Phoenix came out roaring, shooting 63% in the first quarter in building a 42-25 lead. San Antonio entered the night ranked last in scoring defense, having allowed 122.8 points per game. INJURY UPDATE: Devin Booker (left groin) will not return tonight. After that we played very competitively and we executed pretty well against a very good basketball team.” “I think we were intimidated (in the first quarter). NBAs official injury report The Suns have a 2-1 series lead after winning Game 3 on Friday. “Obviously it was going to be a tough, tough night for them, but their competitiveness was great,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Booker injured his hamstring in Game 2, and has not played since he left the middle of that game. Dominick Barlow was hurt in a fourth-quarter collision, and starter Devonte’ Graham was helped to the locker room late in the game after hurting his leg. Also out for San Antonio were Zach Collins (finger), Jeremy Sochan (right knee soreness) and Romeo Langford (left adductor).Īnd during Tuesday’s game, Doug McDermott played six minutes and limped off with an apparent ankle injury. They were without their top two scorers, Keldon Johnson (right foot sprain) and Devin Vassell (left knee). The Spurs (20-59) only dressed 10 players. Tre Jones scored 20, while Keita Bates-Diop and Sandro Mamukelashvili each had 13. Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 21 points. “Kevin and Book are going nuts because they all want him to shoot.” “I never thought I'd have to tell a Hall of Fame player to shoot the ball,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. His presence has opened up more scoring opportunities for Paul, who was 9 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The Suns are 7-0 when Durant has been in their lineup, including the last four games after he returned from an injured ankle. "We get a big lead and think that sometimes teams might lay down because of the guys we have. With Chris Paul's age showing, Jae Crowder no longer with the team and injuries to almost everyone else on the roster, Booker has needed to step up his game to keep the Suns in the playoff picture.“I just wanted to come in and bring a spark," Craig said. He's currently on pace to set a new career-high by averaging 27.1 points per game on more efficient shooting and with more assists than he had a season ago. When he was playing, Booker established himself as a fringe MVP candidate. But given the tightness in the West, Phoenix is currently only 3.5 games above the 13th-place Los Angeles Lakers, so getting Booker back quickly to cushion their lead over the teams outside of the top 10 is critical. The Suns were the Western Conference frontrunners in December, but they are 10-11 since Booker went down and have since slid all the way to fifth place. ![]() Booker has been out for five weeks with a strained left groin, but recently began ramping up his on-court work and joined the team for its current five-game road trip.īooker's absence has been difficult on the Suns. ![]() Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return to the lineup on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, the team announced Monday.
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