The Phoenix Suns (32-22) welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder (41-13) on Wednesday night at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Suns sat seventh in the Western Conference, while the Thunder sat first in the West.
The last time these two teams met, it came down to the wire, where the Suns won in a thrilling 108-105 contest.
“It doesn’t change the bones of our defense,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s the same every night because it just comes down to fundamentals. It does impact understanding the tendencies and aggressiveness. We don’t change the fundamentals of our defense for any opponent.”
The Suns were coming off a victory over the Dallas Mavericks, while the Thunder were coming off a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even then, the Thunder were still a top team, as Oklahoma City was also responsible for giving the Suns their biggest defeat of the season.
For the Suns, Grayson Allen (knee) was out, while Jalen Green (injury management) and Devin Booker (injury management) were on Game-Time Decision.
Booker led the team in points and assists with 25.2 points per game and 6.3 assists per game.
As for the Thunder, they were without Ajay Mitchell (abdomen), but to make things worse, they were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen).
Gilgeous-Alexander was averaging 31.8 PPG, second most in the NBA, while also leading the team in assists with 6.4 APG.
Despite the Thunder’s core, losing Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, was still going to be a massive blow for them.
The Thunder were likely going to rely more on guys like Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams, who both averaged 17+ PPG.
“One of the elite rim protectors,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said regarding Holmgren. “Ability to take care of mismatches offensively, one of the elite defenders of the league. Changes their defense when he’s on the floor and then offensively, he just continues to take steps.”
As for the Suns, they were going to need the likes of Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams to step up big time with Booker and Green on GTD.
“It’s an opportunity for everyone,” Ott said. “Against a good team, second night of a back-to-back, we all look at it as an opportunity, not just those guys, of another night to go out and play as hard as we possibly can. Put some pressure on them and find some solutions.”
Even then, the Thunder had a strong bench with strong defensive players, such as Alex Caruso, but the Suns also had guys like Jordan Goodwin.
Goodwin hit his career-high in points against the Thunder the previous time the two teams had met despite being known for his defensive prowess.
“He’s just a tough-minded dude,” Ott said regarding Goodwin. “Not afraid of contact. He has great hands, and anytime that ball is on the ground and he’s near it, it feels like there’s a good chance of him getting it. He’s just fearless.”
Before the game, however, Green and Booker were ruled out, giving the Suns a lot less breathing room.
Entering the second quarter, the Thunder had a 37-25 lead.
Royce O’Neale and M. Williams led the way in scoring for Phoenix, as both had six points.
As for the Thunder, Luguentz Dort had the most points with nine points, while J. Williams trailed him with seven points.
Midway through the second, Brooks committed a foul, before picking up a technical foul.
This was Brooks’ 16th technical foul, meaning that he would be suspended for one game if it isn’t rescinded.
“We know what happens at 16,” Ott said. “We’ve known this for a while. I saw the interaction but didn’t hear, it was across the court, so we’ll see what happens.”
A few plays later, O’Neale fouled Isaiah Joe, and the referees went to see if that met the criteria of a flagrant foul.
After review, the referees deemed there was not enough contact for a flagrant foul on O’Neale.
Entering the second half, the Thunder had a 23-point lead.
“I just don’t think we’ve been as good defensively,” Ott said. “That’s where we got to get back to. We got to get back to doing what we do defensively, offensively. It’s going to change; it’s going to change when we’re healthy.”
Brooks led the way for Phoenix with 14 points, while O’Neale followed with 12 points.
For the Thunder, Joe, who was coming off the bench, led the way with 15 points, while Holmgren and Kenrich Williams both had nine points.
The Thunder’s key to having such a big lead was the three-point line, as they were 11-for-18 from downtown.
Midway through the third, J. Williams drove into the basket, before being fouled and driving into Holmgren, who went down holding his shoulder.
Entering the fourth quarter, the game was all but over, as the Thunder led 112-80.
“They’re just the gold standard,” Ott said regarding the Thunder. “They do it every night. Possession by possession, doesn’t matter who they play, who plays for them, that’s what they do.”
For the Suns, Brooks had 23 points, while Goodwin and O’Neale followed with 12 points each.
Williams had 28 points for the Thunder, with Joe trailing him as he had 18 points.
Oklahoma City never looked back, running away with a 136-109 win.
No starting player for either team saw the court in the fourth quarter, showcasing the blowout while also allowing the rookies to get some game time.
“Good reps,” Ott said. “Every rep is going on film, around the league. We’ve continuously preached that. Whether you’re up 30, down 30, we have a way to play. You’re representing yourself, you’re representing an organization and I thought they competed.”
The Suns fall to 32-23 while the Thunder jump to 42-13.
Regardless, the Suns will get a much-needed break, as they do not play a game for a week.
“This is exciting,” Ott said. “What we’re playing for the next 27 games, that’s exciting. You don’t want the result, but we’ll take it as a positive. The break is good for ‘Whatever happened, happened.’ and now we’re going to be in some of these games where we are going to grow. That continuous our growth, that’s what’s exciting.”
They will visit the San Antonio Spurs at Moody Center next Thursday.
