Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie cut to the chase.
“Kind of just running around, causing chaos, creating havoc,” Gillespie said about the final minute of the Suns’ 114-113 NBA Cup victory over visiting Minnesota on Friday, when the hosts forced three turnovers to overcome an eight-point deficit in the final 50 seconds.
Gillespie hit the game-winner, a 10-footer from the right side of the lane with 6.4 seconds on an inbounds play designed for him.
And …
“There’s money on the line, so that’s really important,” he said with a grin.
The Suns will bring that momentum into their final home meeting against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday in a regular-season matchup. The Spurs, who were idle on Cup Friday, have won three in a row and six of eight.
The Suns have won nine of 11 and are 2-0 in Cup play, tied with Oklahoma City for the best record in Western Conference Group A.
The winner of each of the three conference groups and the group runner-up with the best record will make the quarterfinals, where players are guaranteed an estimated $53,000 apiece.
Winning the championship will be worth about $530,000 per player.
Gillespie, the only true point guard on the Suns’ roster, fits well and has become a valuable piece in new coach Jordan Ott’s no-stick style, which puts a premium on ball movement and quickness.
Gillespie had 20 points against the Timberwolves after scoring 19 in a victory at Portland on Thursday.
The Suns’ aggressiveness plays well on the defensive end. They average 10.8 steals per game, second to Oklahoma City (10.9) in the league entering Saturday.
“I think that a ton of our guys, they are just super competitive,” Gillespie said. “Winners want to play winning basketball. Will do anything to win basketball games. Just no quit. Continue to fight until there is no time left.”
The Spurs suffered a 130-118 loss in the first meeting in Phoenix on Nov. 2, ending their season-opening five-game winning streak.
San Antonio lost rookie guard Dylan Harper to a calf injury in that one and also will be without Victor Wembanyama (left calf) and Stephon Castle (hip flexor) in the rematch.
The next-man-up Spurs received a career-best game from rookie David-Jones Garcia in a 135-126 victory over Atlanta on Thursday. Jones-Garcia had 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench.
The Spurs have started 7-foot-2 Luke Kornet in place of Wembanyama in the last three games but often have gone with a smaller group that includes guards De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell and forwards Keldon Johnson and Sochan.
“With that smaller group, you really did feel the defensive pressure,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson after the Atlanta game, where the Spurs forced 16 turnovers. “It gave us an opportunity to get out and run.
“I don’t know if we ran one set play in a good stretch of game play, but typically when you are able to do that, it means you are bad things are happening or you are able to play out of your defense. We were able to turn them over a little bit.”
Fox, who missed the first meeting with the Suns, has averaged 23.1 points and 6.6 assists in seven games since returning.
Suns guard Grayson Allen (right quad) will sit out his fourth straight game Sunday.
–Field Level Media
