The surprising Phoenix Suns get their second shot at knocking off a Western Conference power on the road when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Suns' only loss through four games was a seven-point defeat at Oklahoma City, and they look like one of the most-improved teams in the league a week into the season. The Spurs are their same tried-and-true selves, sitting at 3-1 after rallying for a 102-94 win at Denver on Tuesday.
While Phoenix is impressing with a new-look roster and a new coach in Jeff Hornacek, Gregg Popovich and San Antonio lean on a familiar cast. Tony Parker (19.5 points, 7.5 assists) and Tim Duncan (14.7 points, seven rebounds) lead a veteran-laden roster that plays with remarkable consistency at both ends. The Suns were successful in their last trip to San Antonio, snapping the Spurs' 18-game home winning streak last Feb. 27 for their first win at the AT&T Center since 2008.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE SUNS (3-1): Phoenix continues to get great production from point guard Eric Bledsoe, who scored 25 against the Pelicans and is averaging 22.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds - all more than double his career averages. The Suns are getting scoring from other unexpected sources, as Gerald Green poured in 18 points Tuesday and twins Markieff and Marcus Morris combined for 33 off the bench. The biggest turnaround has been on the defensive end, where the Suns are holding opponents to 94 points per game and 40.8 percent shooting, good for the top five in the league in both categories.
ABOUT THE SPURS (3-1): San Antonio's savvy showed at Denver, as the Spurs rallied from six down entering the fourth quarter and pulled away down the stretch. They lost the back end of their first back-to-back set, though, falling 115-105 at Portland on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see how their aging core holds up in that situation Wednesday. Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw are providing strong contributions behind the stars, but the Spurs need to get newcomer Marco Belinelli going.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Green has made five or more 3-pointers in the past two games, going 11-for-20 from behind the arc over that span.
2. Spurs G Patty Mills is 6-for-6 from 3-point range while the rest of the team is shooting 31.7 percent.
3. Suns G Goran Dragic is expected to miss his second consecutive game and C Alex Len is day-to-day after sitting out Tuesday. Both have ankle injuries.