The San Antonio Spurs are playing their most important game in two years, just 20 games into the 2024-25 regular season. The Spurs will travel south to take on the Phoenix Suns in a crucial NBA Cup game on Tuesday night. The stakes are simple: win and advance. With the score at 3-1 in group play, both teams need a win to advance to the elimination rounds and compete for the NBA Cup and its prize money of up to $500,000.

Asked if Spurs cared about money before the game, Julian Champagnie jokingly told reporters: “For me it’s number one.”

The young Spurs will go into the game motivated with a strong Suns squad. NBA All-Stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal lead the Phoenix offensive attack, which produces 113 points per game. The Suns are in the NBA’s top ten in offensive rating, but in the bottom ten in defensive rating. This is an interesting duel with the Spurs, who are 13th in defensive rating and 16th in offensive rating. In a playoff game, the team that can get the most stops could have the advantage.

Spurs will be helped by the return of Jeremy Sochan, who is likely to play his first game since November 4th. However, like most of San Antonio’s seasons, it’s one man in, one man out, and Tre Jones missed the game after injuring his shoulder on Sunday. At near full health, this will be the first chance for these young Spurs to play a game with real effort against a team with plenty of playoff experience.

December 3, 2024 | 8:00 p.m. CT

Watch: FanDuel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spore injuries: Jeremy Sochan – Likely (Thumb), Riley Minix – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), David Duke Jr. – Out (G League), Tre Jones – Out (Shoulder)

Sun injuries: Bradley Beal – Likely (calf), Collin Gillespie – Lost (ankle), Jusuf Nurkic – Lost (hamstring)

What you should pay attention to

Bombs away

If there’s one thing the Spurs and Suns have in common, it’s their reliance on the three-ball. Both teams make about 40 shots from deep per game, with San Antonio shooting 35.8% from deep and the Suns hitting 37.6% of their threes. The Spurs rank eighth in the league in opposing team three-point percentage, allowing them to hit 34.9%, while Phoenix ranks 24th, allowing opponents to shoot 37.2% from three to score points.

That’s a lot of numbers. The point is that both squads will shoot from deep. San Antonio is better at defending the line, but the Suns present a unique challenge with shooters everywhere. If things get hot with three players, the game could be decisive for both teams.

Sochan’s return

Spurs will receive a huge boost with Sochan’s return. Not only are they signing one of their best defenders while already playing good defense, but they are also getting their third-leading scorer. Sochan is averaging 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3 assists in his 7 games. Expect some rust, as it sounds like Sochan resumed full-contact activity just last week. San Antonio will likely bring him off the bench, similar to what they did with Devin Vassell, and place him on a minutes restriction. His energy, impact and defense should pay dividends in the second unit.

Victor Wembanyama in winning time

This will be Victor Wembanyama’s biggest game of his young NBA career. How will he react to the must-win bets? We’ve seen Wembanyama play well in the closing stages before, including some game-winning plays in the Spurs’ last game against the Sacramento Kings. Without Jusuf Nurkic, there shouldn’t be a player capable of pushing him around inside. Wembanyama has the opportunity to show what he can do in important games with a good performance in an advantageous match.

Pounding the Rock will be streaming the game on Playback! Be part of one of the most important games of Spurs’ young season via this link.