The San Antonio Spurs will play as the home team when they face off against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday in Austin, Texas, but they won’t have the crowd’s favorite player in their ranks. This matchup marks a homecoming for the Suns’ Kevin Durant, who will be playing his first professional game in Austin, where he was a collegiate star for the University of Texas during the 2006-07 season.
This game is the first of two for the Spurs in Austin on consecutive nights; they will play Detroit at the University of Texas’ Moody Center on Friday.
Durant mentioned last week that Thursday’s game will “mean a lot” to the 11-time All-Star and four-time NBA scoring champion.
The Suns are looking to turn things around as they return from the All-Star break. They have lost three consecutive games and six of their last seven, including a 119-111 defeat to the Houston Rockets on February 12. Durant put up a stellar performance in that game, scoring 37 points and providing a team-high nine assists, but the undermanned Suns couldn’t snap their losing streak.
Bol Bol added 15 points for Phoenix, which played without Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Grayson Allen in the second game of a back-to-back. With a 26-28 record at the break, the Suns have significant work ahead in their final 28 games.
The Spurs also aim to get back on track after dropping three of their last four games, most recently a 116-103 loss to the Boston Celtics on February 12. De’Aaron Fox led San Antonio with 23 points, while Victor Wembanyama contributed 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Harrison Barnes added 14 points in a game where the Spurs trailed by as many as 24 points.
San Antonio’s 23-29 record matches their season-worst performance relative to .500. The Spurs have focused on physicality and finding easy shots on offense but have struggled at times, especially when teams have been able to limit Wembanyama. The team looks to rebound without their All-Star big man, who is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s game due to an illness.
Adding De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline was expected to help stabilize the Spurs, but the team has gone just 2-3 since his addition to the lineup.
