Spurs Carry Finals Edge Into Preseason Test at Phoenix

San Antonio's Finals hangover looks more like fuel as it visits a winless Suns team.

SAS @ PHX Oct 11, 2026 at 2:30 AM UTC

The Spurs arrive in Phoenix with the NBA Finals still shaping how they work. Their run ended in a loss to the Knicks, and two Sports Illustrated pieces describe that experience as both motivation and a lesson in physical play. San Antonio has made playing through contact non-negotiable, with Victor Wembanyama at the center of that push. Preseason games rarely reward intensity, but a team that has spent camp emphasizing it should look sharper in the little things, like boxing out, finishing through bumps and winning loose balls.

The Spurs also have to manage a preseason slate that is about chemistry and development more than results. Starters are expected to see limited action, and several Spurs are listed as questionable, so the rotation could shift quickly. The starting lineup is undecided, and Dylan Harper is pushing for a first-unit role after his record playoff scoring. That gives the early minutes a bit of an audition feel. Harper and the other young players will be trying to show they belong in a high-level rotation.

The Suns come in 0-2 in the preseason, including a close loss to the Pistons, and they are missing players of their own. A thin roster can still compete early, but it tends to fade once the game turns to deep reserves and unfamiliar combinations. The Spurs are 0-1 themselves, but they should have the more cohesive identity and a clearer sense of what they want to build.

Expect a choppy, rotation-heavy game in which San Antonio's physicality and Finals-tested mindset show up in the second half. The Suns will keep it competitive for a while, but the Spurs should pull away late.

Prediction: Spurs 113, Suns 106.

All game reports