3 Winners and 2 Losers from Spurs statement victory over NBA powerhouse

Loser: Devin Vassell

Devin Vassell was in the middle of one of the most productive games of his career, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first half while nailing all three of his long-distance looks and perfectly complementing Wembanyama. However, left groin tightness cut his evening short, as he never returned to the court in the second half of the contest.

Following the game, Head Coach Gregg Popovich broke the unfortunate news that Vassell would get an MRI on Friday. He also mentioned the fourth-year swingman could be out for an extended stretch.

Though his play was stellar, it would be a substantial loss for the Spurs to have Devin stuck on the sidelines this early in the season.

Loser: Malaki Branham

Despite a promising outing from the team, Malaki Branham struggled to get much of anything going off the bench for the Silver and Black. The second-year guard only scored three points on ice-cold 1-of-7 shooting from the floor, misfiring from everywhere beyond the arc despite having a green light in the second half.

His performance was disappointing, especially considering the Spurs needed Branham to step up when Vassell fell out of commission. Making a single basket when most of his shots were wide-open was one of the many reasons the Suns made a furious comeback following halftime.

On the bright side, Branham recorded three assists and a block. If Vassell misses numerous games, San Antonio will expect Branham to rise to the occasion and offer them much-needed scoring to replace some of the offense that Devin provided.