Wembanyama scores 19 as Spurs beat Suns 123-103 in three-guard debut

Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and four blocks, Stephon Castle made 14 free throws and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 123-103 on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center. The preseason win came in the first start together for De’Aaron Fox, Castle and Dylan Harper, a backcourt combination that recovered from a difficult opening to help San Antonio take control before halftime.

Phoenix led 23-22 after the first quarter. The Spurs then scored 38 points in the second and reached the break ahead 60-49. They extended that margin to 92-75 after three quarters, giving their later rotations a substantial cushion to protect.

The league’s game highlights include the athletic finishes and perimeter plays that helped San Antonio change the direction of the night.

Castle’s scoring line was unusual: 18 points on just five field-goal attempts. He made two of those shots, missed both of his 3-point tries and went 14-for-15 at the foul line. Drawing those opportunities supplied a reliable source of offense even when the Spurs’ guards were not scoring from the floor.

Fox finished with nine points and four assists in 19 minutes, making both of his 3-point attempts without committing a turnover. Harper added nine points and six rebounds. Their workloads and production offered an early look at how San Antonio can distribute possessions among three ball handlers, with Wembanyama still providing the interior target.

Tom Petrini’s on-site report for Spurs on SI described coach Mitch Johnson staggering the guards after a sloppy start and bringing them back together before halftime. San Antonio scored 17 points over the final 3:33 of the second quarter, a stretch that helped turn its experimental starting group into a productive one.

Wembanyama made nine of 14 shots and also had four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Devin Vassell contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. Carter Bryant supplied another scoring route off the bench, hitting four 3-pointers and finishing with 16 points.

The Spurs made 13 of 35 attempts from long range and 30 of 35 free throws. Phoenix went 7-for-31 from behind the arc and 12-for-15 at the line. San Antonio’s advantages in those two areas helped it overcome 21 turnovers, six more than the Suns’ individual-player total.

Ryan Dunn scored 15 for Phoenix without missing any of his six shots. Jamaree Bouyea also had 15 points and added eight assists, while Koa Peat and Kennedy Chandler scored 10 apiece. The Suns scored 64 points in the paint but could not match San Antonio’s perimeter and foul-line production.

The result was San Antonio’s first win of the preseason. The three-guard opening remains a preseason experiment, with Johnson still working through combinations before the regular season; Wednesday provided a successful recovery from a rough first few minutes.

Sources

• NBA: SUNS at SPURS | NBA PRESEASON FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | October 14, 2026
• ESPN: full game box score and play-by-play
• Tom Petrini: Spurs guard rotation

Sources

ESPN: full game box score and play-by-play · Spurs guard rotation