The Suns hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in the game that would determine elimination— or not, for the Suns Monday.
The Thunder had a 3-0 series lead after they defeated the Suns 121-109 on Saturday.
Oklahoma City, the defending champions, were looking to go back-to-back, while the Suns were looking to salvage the game and stay alive.
Entering Game 4 in a best-of-seven series, Phoenix would have to win to advance.
“It’s about our force,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “Anytime you get this late in the series, I think that’s where it goes. It’s about our competitive juice. This group has done it time and time again over the course of the season. You got to execute and have a level of intensity.”
The Thunder ruled out Jalen Williams (hamstring) prior to the game, and the Suns were without Mark Williams (foot).
Jordan Goodwin of the Suns (calf) was on Game-Time Decision.
“We’re going to check on him,” Ott said. “Try everything he can to get ready to go. We just miss him. You miss his energy, his enthusiasm, his energy. He’s a possession gainer, one of our best on-ball defenders.”
Despite that, Oklahoma’s depth was immense, as they had the likes of Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Carson Wallace, and Jared McCain, who could all dish it and shoot.
“The team has a great level of ownership,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s to the point now where we’ve been in a lot of these situations. I trust their ability to recognize the situation and what it calls for; I don’t overcoach it. They’re the ones who bring the competitiveness urgency.”
Even in the starting lineup, the Thunder had the likes of Chet Holmgren and Luguentz Dort, two defensive players who could change the game.
Despite that, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the main focus, as he was coming off a 42-point showing in Game 3.
“The best thing is to try to get the ball out of his hands,” Ott said. “He’s one of the best at just getting to tight spaces and shooting over you. Everything’s on the table. Even late in the game, we tried to get the ball out of his hands. Every possession matters.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was the catalyst for the Thunder, as he looked to win back-to-back MVP awards and NBA titles, something not done since 2012 and 2013, when LeBron James did it with the Miami Heat.
Regardless, the Suns were looking to avoid the sweep, and they had the likes of players to beat the Thunder, which they did during the regular season.
As for Oklahoma City, they were looking to move on to the next round.
Regardless, the series wasn’t over yet, as the Suns were looking to avoid a sweep while the Thunder looked to get some rest entering the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
The Suns had the likes of Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, who were led by star guard Devin Booker.
“They’ve done a good job of evolving,” Daigneault said regarding Phoenix. “Finding different ways to attack, they’ve gotten better in the attacks over the course of the series. I think they got efficient threes. You’re playing against an opponent that’s studying you and looking for every little advantage they can find. That’s what Phoenix has done.”
Despite Booker being the vocal point, Phoenix had multiple scorers such as Green and Brooks.
“Just keep moving him around,” Ott said regarding Booker. “I thought we found some stuff off the ball last game, so we got to play through him. He’s done such a great job of being a playmaker.”
Brooks in particular saw his most points per game during the regular season in his entire career.
Before the game though, Goodwin was ruled out of the game for Phoenix.
Not even four minutes into the game, Collin Gillespie fouled Gilgeous-Alexander before a technical foul was given to Dillon Brooks after shoving Gilgeous-Alexander after the play.
This caused “Ref, you suck!” chants to break out in the arena.
This seemingly motivated the Suns, as they went on an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter.
However, Oklahoma City responded with a 10-0 run of their own.
“Obviously it could’ve been better,” Green said. “Overall, I feel like we fought into the series and throughout the series. We stayed together; some things didn’t go our way. Credit to them, they’re the defending champs.”
Entering the second quarter, the Thunder had a 37-33 lead.
Caruso led the Thunder in scoring with 11 points, while Holmgren trailed with 10 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander only had five points.
As for Phoenix, Gillespie led the way with 11 points, while Brooks followed with nine points.
“I’m super proud of him,” Green said regarding Brooks. “I don’t expect nothing less from him at the end of the day. He’s someone that’s in the gym no matter what time. He comes early in the morning, gets shots up at night. I’m proud of him.”
Booker only had two points, as both superstars of each team had been shut down by the opposing defense.
The Suns went on a 17-5 run midway through the second quarter, giving Phoenix a seven-point lead.
“We knew we were improving,” Ott said. “It was all in our foundation. There’s great growth there, not only in the series but going forward. I think tonight was a lot of shot making tonight. Your window is a little smaller against these guys.”
Entering the second half though, the Thunder held a 75-67 lead.
“Every time we had a crack, they hit something,” Ott said. “For them to shoot 50%, a lot of them must have been in the half court. I thought at times we had Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) early. Overall, ended the possession game even. Give them credit, good team.”
Gilgeous-Alexander came to life, having 17 points while Holmgren followed with 12 points.
As for Phoenix, Gillespie led the way with 17 points, while Brooks trailed him closely with 14 points.
“I think it’s the entire roster,” Ott said regarding some players having career years. “Guys stepping into spots that they probably didn’t anticipate, then you’re in the middle of the season and you have to adjust, and the selflessness that that takes. Just overall, the whole group’s resilience is something we can be proud of.”
Both teams were shooting well from three, with the Suns going 11-for-20 from downtown, while the Thunder went 12-for-20 from three, both over 55%.
Down 15, midway through the third quarter, the Suns went on an 8-0 run.
“We talked a lot about fighting the urge,” Ott said. “Fight the urge to think about what comes after. I don’t think I was fully prepared to talk about the season. We’ll talk tomorrow; I think there’s a sense of pride with this group. They should be proud of what they did this year.”
Late in the third quarter, Ajay Mitchell was fouled by Rasheer Fleming, but upon review, no contact was made by Fleming, which led to more “Ref, you suck!” chants.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Thunder led 106-98.
Gillespie led the way for Phoenix with 20 points, but Brooks was right behind him with 19 points.
“He took full advantage of it,” Booker said regarding Gillespie. “From day one, he’s a true hooper. I’m happy he got that this year; he was a champion in college for a reason. He brings that mindset to practice every day. He’s somebody that you want to go to war with.”
As for the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points, while Holmgren had 22 points and eight rebounds.
“You can’t say anything without bringing up Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander),” Booker said. “He’s the MVP of the league and he’s playing the best basketball in the league for the past two years mixed with guys that know their role. They’re relentless.”
The next 12 minutes would see whether the Suns saw Game 5, or elimination.
With nine minutes to go, Oklahoma City was up by 10. It was now or never for Phoenix.
Unfortunately for the Suns, the Thunder stayed one step ahead, winning 131-122.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Oklahoma City with 31 points while Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both finished with double-doubles. Holmgren finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Hartenstein finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
“You got to give them credit,” Booker said. “There’s three defensive guys over there that they keep in rotation. Still trying to be aggressive and find spots but if somebody’s locked onto me and it opens up another opportunity for a teammate, the quicker we can exploit that.”
As for the Suns, Booker finished with 24 points while Green and Brooks both finished with 23 points.
“It was great,” Green said regarding his first year in Phoenix.
“From the moment I stepped foot into the gym, it was very welcoming from the organization and the players. I was able to build relationships with everybody. You’re going to war with the same guys every night, so you kind of build that relationship. It’s great. The fans have been amazing too, supporting me through the injury. Fresh off of getting traded, you can’t ask for a better situation.”
The win for Oklahoma City saw the Thunder advance to the Western Conference Semi-Finals, while the Suns are eliminated from the NBA Playoffs in a sweep.
Despite the sweep, it was a solid season for Phoenix, as they exceeded expectations, with few expecting them to make the play-in tournament, let alone the NBA Playoffs.
“That’s going to translate,” Ott said. “The last couple months, I think it was like a crescendo towards the end of the season. You got to value every possession, every coverage; you got to know it. To be in that fire, get meaningful minutes down the stretch will definitely help us going forward.”
The team went through multiple injuries, whether that was Green missing the first half of the year, Brooks suffering a broken hand, or Booker suffering an ankle injury; this team still managed to dust themselves off and keep going.
“You double down on the work,” Green said. “Try to come into next year without any injuries. This year was the worst year due to injuries for myself and it’s my first time going through something like that.”
Booker also spoke about Ott’s first year and the relationship he has with the team.
“From day one, he’s came in 100% locked in,” Booker told reporters after the game. “It’s the foundation. We’ve been aligned; we’ve been on the same page. I think this is the first step forward, this is a building block to some stability and chemistry, something that’s been much needed around here.”
