AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — De'Aaron Fox scored 11 straight points in the final three minutes and finished with 26 as San Antonio beat the Phoenix Suns 120-109 Thursday night, hours after learning Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was done for the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.
Fox added nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks as the Spurs won the opener of a two-game set in Austin, a city they covet as part of a mega-region that they’ve been cultivating for years.
Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie each scored 15 points for San Antonio. Stephon Castle had 10 rebounds and Chris Paul 10 assists.
Royce O'Neale scored 27 to lead Phoenix, which lost its fourth straight game and for the seventh time in eight games.
Kevin Durant scored 22 points in his return to the University of Texas campus. The All-Star forward played one season at Texas, 2006-07, and was selected as player of the year by The Associated Press and a number of other outlets.
Takeaways
Suns: Phoenix was beaten on the boards 44-39, despite the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama missing from the Spurs lineup. The Suns were also outscored 50-36 in points in the paint.
Spurs: Paul had two steals and passed Jason Kidd for second place on the NBA's all-time list, behind John Stockton. Bismack Biyombo started in place of Wembanyama and scored eight points in 16 minutes. Charles Bassey, Wembanyama's usual backup, missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury.
Key moment
Castle made a fast-break layup, and Champagnie hit a 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 94-79 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Key stat
Biyombo, playing for the first time this season on the last day of a 10-day contract, scored six points in the third quarter.
Up next
The Suns visit Chicago on Saturday. The Spurs host Detroit on Friday in Austin.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Mark Rosner, The Associated Press
