Spurs' Gregg Popovich Praises Jeremy Sochan's Defense on Kevin Durant

Jeremy Sochan led the San Antonio Spurs to victory against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 26, 2024

Phoenix Suns v San Antonio Spurs / Ronald Cortes/GettyImages

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The San Antonio Spurs are fired up after a 104-102 win against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night inside the Frost Bank Center.

The win came after a 25-point loss to the Suns on Saturday where the team had Victor Wembanyama in the lineup. But as Wembanyama sat out of Monday's contest, Jeremy Sochan stepped up, leading the team with 26 points and 18 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns v San Antonio Spurs / Ronald Cortes/GettyImages

"[Kevin Durant] is such a difficult matchup for everybody," coach Gregg Popovich said postgame. "He's one of the greatest ever, and Jeremy [Sochan] never stopped working his butt off. He's very physical and did everything he could to guard a great player. He deserves a lot of credit. He also hit the boards for us. ... He was very special.”

The win secured the season series victory for the Spurs after splitting the two-game series in San Antonio. Back in late October and early November, the Spurs grabbed a pair of wins against them in Phoenix.

"It's just good to have a win," Sochan said postgame. "Good to have a win [with] the season we have had. So, against a team like that, we ended with three wins and one loss against them. So, I think that shows a lot and just feels good to get a good team win and have good energy around the locker room."

Beating a playoff contender like the Suns three times out of four during the season is definitely a sign that something is working in San Antonio. Maybe all the pieces haven't been put together yet, but some of the puzzle has and it's a sign that the team can grow and develop moving forward.

The Spurs are back in action tomorrow night against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.

Published Mar 26, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.