After an exciting NBA Cup run, the Phoenix Suns’ group play is officially over. They finish Group Play 3-1 and will await the final score of the Clippers-Grizzlies game to see if they make it to the Knockout Rounds. Phoenix’s point differential sits at +31 through three games. At the time I’m writing this, it looks like a lock.
The downside? Their “reward” is another game against this Thunder team in the Knockout Rounds.
Phoenix drops to 12-8 on the season and 4-5 on the road. It was an acceptable loss in my eyes and earned the rare “moral victory” with how hard they fought despite being shorthanded and on the road. These guys never quit.
Collin Gillespie poured in a career-high 24 points with six 3-pointers in 33 minutes. Devin Booker added 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists with 5 turnovers. The Suns had six players in double figures, including Jordan Goodwin’s 14 off the bench.
Shai, Chet, and the Thunder were just too much in the end. SGA finished with 37 points, including 17 trips to the free-throw line.
First Half
The game began with a 5-0 Lu Dort run. Phoenix quickly responded with a 4-0 run of their own. The pace of the game was as you’d expect it to be: fast. Both teams pushed the tempo, applied pressure and played their typical aggressive style defensively.
The first timeout came with 7:04 left in the 1st, with OKC leading 13-11.
The defence and pace then began to slow things down a bit, with each team locked in on that end. The Suns challenged Jordan Goodwin being ruled out of bounds after getting an offensive rebound. The replay showed that he was clearly out of bounds with possession, but the Suns won the challenge due to the foul.
Jamaree Bouyea gave them more productive minutes again early, with a pair of fearless runs to the rim for easy buckets.
Phoenix’s defense was locked in early, deflecting passes, blocking shots and forcing the Thunder to miss shots at the rim. The Thunder, entering tonight’s game, were averaging 30.6 points per game in the 1st quarter this season.
The second quarter started with a strong and-one (missed FT) for Oso Ighodaro, but then the Thunder got their crowd back into it with three consecutive buckets to extend their lead to four, 31-27.
Jamaree Bouyea was the Suns’ leading scorer with 9 points midway through the 2nd quarter. Phoenix had a 35-33 lead heading into a timeout, then OKC went on a furious 10-0 run, including back-to-back threes from Chet Holmgren to take a 43-35 lead.
Phoenix’s offense started to sputter a bit, with the Thunder setting their defense a little too frequently. Dillon Brooks went on a personal 5-0 run to get Phoenix back in it.
The Thunder did what they do best and forced some turnovers, which led to easy buckets in transition. They got to the line a ton in the last few minutes of the half, and ballooned their lead up to nine, 56-47. A 5-0 run at the end of the half cut the lead down to four, 56-52.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 10 points, Bouyea had 9, and Booker had 8. Chet Holmgren led all scorers with 14 at the break, and SGA chipped in with 12.
Second Half
The Thunder got to the free-throw line early and often in the 3rd quarter, kick-starting a 10-2 run to push their lead to 10.
Devin Booker picked up a pair of quick fouls early in the 3rd quarter, giving him 4 with 8:43 remaining in the quarter. The Thunder threw another punch Phoenix’s way to push their lead up to 13, 72-59, leading to a Jordan Ott timeout. SGA was starting to take over on both ends…
The Suns started trading buckets with the Thunder. The lack of offensive firepower, combined with the vaunted Thunder defense, made it tough for Phoenix to find offense.
Boy, did they have to work for buckets. The Thunder were swarming Booker every time he touched it.
A Devin Booker three-point play cut the lead down to nine, 85-76.
After three quarters, the Thunder led 94-82. Shai and Chet had 22 apiece, and Gillespie led the Suns with 16 points of his own.
A Collin Gillespie triple cut the lead back down to 10 with just over 10 minutes left in the ballgame. A step-back jumper from Dillon Brooks made it an 8-point game. A Mark Williams putback slam made it a 7-0 Suns run to get them right back in the game, trailing 97-92.
Jaylin Williams decided he could not miss and hit a timely shot to stop the bleeding for the Thunder to make him a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
Devin Booker drilled a pair of free throws to cut the lead down to 2. The Thunder responded with a pair of threes to push it back to 6. Jordan Goodwin went to the locker room with a sprained ankle, unfortunately.
The Suns continued to fight and answer just about every punch thrown their way from the Thunder. Collin Gillespie and Royce O’Neale hit some clutch threes to keep Phoenix alive late in the game.
SGA hit some tough daggers, and the Thunder took care of business at the charity stripe to seal the deal. It was a good fight, but they fell short.
The Suns head back to Phoenix to take on the Denver Nuggets for the second of a back-to-back.