Jeremy Sochan breaks down key to Spurs victory over Suns

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Phoenix Suns, Jeremy Sochan spoke about the key to victory.

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed the Phoenix Suns to the Frost Bank Center for the second straight game on Monday night. After getting blown out by a score of 131-106 in the first contest, they bounced back in a big way despite the fact that rookie superstar Victor Wembanyama would be sidelined for Round 2 of the matchup.

However, in his absence, Jeremy Sochan stepped up in a big way. He finished the game with 26 points and 18 rebounds while also guarding Suns star Kevin Durant for most of the night – not an easy task for anyone, let alone a second-year forward. But Sochan was up to the challenge, and he delivered for the Spurs.

According to Sochan after the game, the key for the Spurs against the Suns on Monday night was upping their physicality. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“The main thing was to be physical,” Sochan said. “I felt like last game we didn’t start out physical. They brought the game to us. And I felt like today we changed that a little bit. We started out playing fast because of getting rebounds. That’s really important, just starting the game physical.”

Without Sochan, the Spurs wouldn’t have earned a win on Monday night.

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Jeremy Sochan expresses confidence after game-winning shot vs. Suns

After hitting the game-winning three against the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan expressed his confidence levels.

On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs took on the Phoenix Suns for the second game in a row. In the first game, the Suns took home a massive 131-106 win over the Spurs, blowing them out for almost the entire night. And so with Victor Wembanyama sidelined on Monday, it looked as though they could end up suffering the same fate.

Luckily for the Spurs, they had someone else step up in Wembanyama’s absence – Jeremy Sochan. Not only did he get the task of guarding Suns superstar Kevin Durant, but he also played a crucial role on the offensive side of the ball for the Spurs, where he doesn’t usually excel.

After missing his first six shots of the game, Sochan even hit what ended up being the game-winning three with just over 30 seconds left in the game. He spoke about it after the contest. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I believe in myself,” Sochan said.

Sochan never lost confidence in himself.

“I was confident,” Sochan said. “Even at the start, I was asking for the ball, I had my hands up. I felt like the couple of the last games the ball hasn’t going in for me from the 3-point line. But no matter what, I believe in myself. I have been working so hard on my three. Even in season, I have been working on it, and I am going to shoot every shot like I can.”

Sochan finished the game with 26 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 10-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Gregg Popovich credits Jeremy Sochan for defense on Kevin Durant

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Gregg Popovich credit Jeremy Sochan for his defense on Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs got completely blown out on Saturday night by the Phoenix Suns. Led by their Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, the Suns stomped the Spurs by a score of 131-106. The game wasn’t even close. But in their rematch on Monday night, it was a totally different story.

San Antonio jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but by the third, the Suns were up by nine points. The Spurs got another solid lead of their own, but in the final minutes of the game, things were back and forth. In the end, it was San Antonio who ended the night on top, even though Victor Wembanyama didn’t play in the game.

Durant played well, but head coach Gregg Popovich still gave Jeremy Sochan a ton of credit for the defense he played on the Suns star. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“[Durant] is such a difficult matchup for everybody,” Popovich said postgame. “He’s one of the greatest ever, and Jeremy [Sochan] never stopped working his butt off. He’s very physical and did everything he could to guard a great player. He deserves a lot of credit. He also hit the boards for us. … He was very special.”

Durant ended the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from distance.

As for Sochan, he put up 26 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 10-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-7 from deep.

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Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: March 18-24

A couple of good games between the two this past week.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] had a couple of decent games this past week for the Milwaukee Bucks. It began March 20 when he scored seven points and five rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics, potentially an Eastern Conference finals preview. He was even better March 24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 11 points. It might have helped to have fellow Notre Dame legend and Milwaukee native [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] in attendance:

Whatever the case, Connaughton averaged 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game for the week.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] grabbed four rebounds in the San Antonio Spurs’ March 19 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His March 23 game against the Phoenix Suns might have been the best of his career. He scored 12 points to go with three assists, two steals and a block. Over the week, he had averages of 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds a game.

Photographers were on hand to catch Notre Dame’s NBA representation. Here is some of what they captured:

Blake Wesley details what Spurs should do in Suns rematch

San Antonio Spurs point guard Blake Wesley spoke about how they should adjust their defense against the Phoenix Suns.

On Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs dropped their game against the Phoenix Suns in brutal fashion. The Suns picked up a 131-106 blowout win over the Spurs, flipping the script on the two sides’ early-season matchups, as San Antonio won two in a row against Phoenix at the very start of the season.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined to score 57 points as the Spurs were overwhelmed by the sheer talent on the Suns’ roster. Bradley Beal also poured in 13 points of his own. Phoenix shot a blistering-hot59.6% from the field and 45.8% from behind the three-point line. It was a poor defensive showing by the Spurs.

After the game, Spurs guard Blake Wesley spoke about the defensive adjustments his team should make in their Monday night rematch against Phoenix. (H/t Paul Garcia of Project Spurs)

“I feel like they got a lot of 3s up tonight, us scrambling, and they knocked down shots,” Wesley said. “If we contain them to more 2s, play the right way, defend, get out in transition, I feel like we’ve got a chance.”

The Suns, not known for their three-point arrack, shot 11-of-24 from behind the three-point line.

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Devin Booker shows love to Victor Wembanyama after Spurs loss to Suns

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker showed love to Victor Wembanyama.

The San Antonio Spurs played their sixth home game in a row on Saturday night, welcoming the Phoenix Suns to the Frost Bank Center. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to recreate the early-season magic that saw them take down the Suns two games in a row, as Phoenix picked up a 131-106 victory in San Antonio.

Since it was a complete blowout win for the Suns, Victor Wembanyama didn’t end up playing a ton, as he only totaled 20:53 in the game. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined to score 57 points, as the Suns’ offense proved to be way too much for the Spurs to deal with.

After the game, Booker showed love to Wembanyama. (H/t Paul Garcia of Project Spurs)

“Just a force,” Booker said of Wembanyama. “I think my favorite part about him is his mindset. Nowhere near soft. He’s a competitor to the highest. You can tell after games that losing bothers him, and it’s not something that he’s gotten used to. I’ve watched all his mannerisms and watch how he carries himself, and he seems like a seasoned vet.”

Wembanyama is only 20 years old, but he already has the respect of a ton of stars around the league.

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Gregg Popovich gifted Kevin Durant, Devin Booker wine after Spurs-Suns

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gifted bottles of wine to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs hosted the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night for the two team’s third meeting of the season. The Spurs got the best of the Suns twice in a row early on in the year, but since then, the two sides have had very different seasons. Phoenix got the best of San Antonio on Saturday, winning in blowout fashion by a score of 131-106.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich had some high praise for the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. He said that it’s tough to stop them when they’re all rolling. But that’s not the only thing he gave to two of them.

Popovich also gifted Durant and Booker, both of whom he coached on Team USA, bottles of wine after the game, per a post from Duane Rankin of AZ Central. (H/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report)

“We talked after the game. He left me a nice bottle of wine,” Booker said. “I know we drank one together after we won gold. We have some incredible memories even though it was a short amount of time in Japan.”

Popovich’s impact on the NBA stretches far beyond the Spurs organization.

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Gregg Popovich reflects on Spurs’ early-season wins over Suns

After their loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich spoke about the San Antonio Spurs’ early-season wins over the Suns.

Before the San Antonio Spurs plummetted down to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, there was some hope that they could make a push to be a Play-In team. The Spurs won three of their first five games, including two straight wins over the Phoenix Suns, the first of which came in clutch fashion.

On Saturday night, the Spurs played their third of four games against the Suns this season. Unfortunately, this time around, the Spurs couldn’t get the job done, as the trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal was too much for them to handle. The Suns picked up a 131-106 win.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged his team’s early-season wins over the Suns as “warm-ups” for Phoenix. (H/t Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News)

“That was like a preseason, warm-up, try-to-break-a-sweat for them,” Popovich said.

The Spurs have been playing much better basketball as of late, but it wasn’t enough on Saturday.

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Gregg Popovish praises Suns star trio after Spurs loss

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich praised Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed the Phoenix Suns to town on Saturday night for their sixth home game in a row in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They were hoping to snap a two-game losing streak against a Suns squad whom they had already beaten twice this year – in back-to-back games at the very start of the season.

Unfortunately, this time around didn’t yield the same results. The Spurs lost to the Suns by a score of 131-106, as the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal showed out. They were too much for the Spurs to handle.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to the trio of stars. (H/t ESPN)

“I thought we had a little more contact and physicality in the second half, but you’re not going to stop Book and K.D. from doing what they’re doing and Bradley’s healthy now,” Popovich said. “That’s a pretty tough trio. Our guys did everything they could, and you move on.”

Booker finished the game with 32 points, Durant had 25, and Beal had 13.

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Former Celtics floor general Isaiah Thomas signs a 10-day deal with the Phoenix Suns

Thomas is back in the NBA after a long time on the outside looking in.

Former Boston Celtics All-Star floor general Isaiah Thomas is back in the NBA after a long time on the outside looking in. The onetime King In the Fourth is reportedly inking a deal to join a Western Conference contender, according to recent reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

“IT is back: 11-year vet and two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas is planning to sign a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns,” writes Charania of Thomas, who has been playing with the Utah Jazz’ G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, as he pushed to earn such an opportunity with a team that would give him some floor time.

“Thomas averaged 33 points on 45% 3-point shooting for Salt Lake City in the NBA G League, scoring 30 in 4 games,” adds The Athletic reporter.

“Thomas totaled performances of 32, 30, 34 and 34 points in his four G League games for Salt Lake City, making 25 of 56 3-pointers, and now is set to provide shooting, playoff experience and veteran leadership to the Suns.”

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