3 Biggest Takeaways From Suns' Preseason Win vs Spurs

The Phoenix Suns finally found the preseason win column after a 102-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.

For the first time in 2026-27, the Suns defended their home court at Mortgage Matchup Center with a mix of starters and backups contributing.

Here's our biggest takeaways:

Khaman Maluach Held His Own

It wasn't known if the Suns would see Maluach — who started — face off against Victor Wembanyama and the rest of San Antonio's bigs, though Maluach indeed got his opportunity and answered the bell.

Maluach finished the night with ten points and 15 rebounds alongside a plus/minus of +14, which was the highest of any player who stepped on the court last night.

"I didn't know exactly who they'd play, but we wanted to see how Man-Man (Khaman Maluach) would fit with that lineup, and then obviously our lineup is not complete there either. But just give them the reps, get out, start, see what it looks like," Suns coach Jordan Ott said postgame.

"... 10 and 15 is a heck of a night, but it doesn't matter who plays, the fight. We need 48 minutes of great five-man play. The fives in this league are involved in every  possession, offensively, defensively. We have great center depth. It took a hit with Mark [Williams], but tonight he played more minutes than Oso [Ighodaro] and the next night you never know. So those guys are both continually getting better and Man-Man took a step tonight."

Maluach, battling with Ighodaro for starting center duties, did himself a big favor against San Antonio.

Luke Kennard Can Do More Than Just Shoot

Kennard signed with Phoenix in the offseason in hopes of giving the Suns stong three-point shooting off the bench.

However, with Devin Booker not playing last night, the Suns' backcourt rotation looked a bit different, allowing Kennard to own the role of creator and facilitator more.

Kennard ended the night with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“I love Luke. You can plug and play him anywhere. He has a tremendous shot, knows how to play the  game and is not only a three-point shooter as you see. He can create for himself in the midrange, he’s got a great handle," Dillon Brooks said of Kennard.

"He’s going to be another scorer for us coming off the bench. He guards, he stays in front. He was a perfect pickup for us this offseason and I can’t wait for Phoenix to see all the types of games he’s going to have. He’s going to have some tremendous games.”

With Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale out of the picture, Kennard's three-point shooting will be key — though numerous layers of his game were shown last night.

Suns' Depth Finally Finished a Game

Phoenix's first two preseason games were marked by early leads that were blown in the second half by the Suns' secondary players.

While said players ultimately won't be in the waning moments of regular season action, you'd still like to see the Suns finish the game on a high note.

Phoenix again found themselves needing a late-game push to seal a win, and this time their bench delivered to get the Suns' first preseason victory of 2026. The final score made things look a bit closer than what the game actually was, as Phoenix allowed just two field goals in the final 1:28 of action.