The Phoenix Suns enjoyed by far their most impressive win of the season on Sunday when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 130-118. In doing so, they handed Spurs their first defeat and managed to keep superstar Victor Wembanyama quiet. The French phenomenon has deservedly risen to the top of the list for MVP awards, but this was his worst performance of the season.
The Suns held “Wemby” to nine points and nine boards, while he also finished with a game rating of minus three. But how did a team that was among the worst in defensive rating so far this season and missing their captain in Dillon Brooks, manage to achieve this? It was all down to the game plan and it was executed perfectly.
Suns frustrated Wembenyama with smaller players and a soft double.
It was immediately clear that the Suns would use smaller and faster players to slow Wembanyama down. Royce O’Neale was the person largely in charge of this, even though he was not known as a plus defender and certainly not the first name you would give to an emerging star like Wembanyama.
“Don’t let that catch be easy.”
Jordan Ott in defense as Suns took on the challenge of preventing Victor Wembanyama from getting the ball where he wanted.
Spurs phenom only 9 points in Suns win.
“Tonight was a good test of how we protect the paint and overall it was a good job.”… pic.twitter.com/cuuZfoSSZx
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 3, 2025
But a first-quarter attacking mistake by O’Neale on Spurs set the tone. Because he was so small, he was elbowed in the head and the Suns got the call. Just as important to this strategy – and it would certainly have prevented Spurs from seeing O’Neale against him so often – were the ‘soft doubles’ sent to him through Ryan Dunn.
This was Dunn’s best performance in a Suns jersey all season – and possibly ever – as he also had 17 points and went 3-for-4 from deep. Defensively, however, he was a standout and always kept an eye on where Wembanyama was on the pitch. If he felt he could cheat his man and go for the double, he did it.
This again paid off early in the match, as Dunn was double-teamed as Wembanyama rolled to the basket. This allowed center Mark Williams to get a rare block on the Giant, getting the entire crowd involved in the game. It’s not that Spurs don’t have a plan B – and this method likely won’t be as impactful when the sides meet again – but they struggled without their star leading them.
It felt like he was so unavoidable early in the season that as soon as he needed his teammates to step up and take over possessions, they struggled to do so. There’s something in having a perceived “lesser” defender initially marking Wembanyama, while the taller Dunn roams nearby to help out when needed.
The Suns also did a great job of communicating when he needed to make the move to Wemby, as he was able to break free from the shackles the Suns had placed on him during the transition. When the fast breaks failed, Phoenix quickly regained its form, with a defender stuck to him and Dunn nearby. Best of all, this is without a doubt a way to beat other opponents as the season progresses. A brilliant victory.
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