* The Thunder punched their ticket out of West Group A at a spotless 4-0 and ran their overall record to 19-1, with this marking their 11th straight win.
* OKC added an All-NBA, All-Star, All-Defense player to the roster last night. Jalen Williams returned to make his season debut. JDub scored 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting, 4 rebounds, and _8 assists_ in 29 minutes. While the shots didn't fall, Williams looked great operating as a creator for teammates.
* Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did the full “best player in the world” thing again: 37 points on 10-of-20 shooting, 3-of-5 from deep, 14-of-17 at the line, plus 8 assists and just 1 turnover in 36 minutes.
* The closing stretch was, no surprise, Shai time: he put up 15 points in roughly the final six-plus minutes, going 4-of-5 from the field to hold off multiple Suns mini-runs and keep OKC in front.
* SGA's three-point shooting has been legit _good_ this season. He's now at 42.3% on the season and has a knack for hitting absolute dagger 3s in the biggest moment.
* Oh, and casually: this was Shai’s 92nd straight game with at least 20 points, tying _Wilt Chamberlain_ for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. Wilt not only has the second-longest streak, but the longest streak of all time with 126-straight.
* Chet Holmgren was truly excellent, dropping 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting (2-of-5 from three, 5-of-6 FT) with 8 rebounds.
* The Thunder did what it does on defense. OKC forced 18 Suns turnovers and turning those into a 29-12 advantage in points off giveaways.
* Rebounding, though? Woof. Phoenix won the glass 51-37 and grabbed 13 offensive boards to OKC’s 3. We miss you Isaiah Hartenstein.
* That huge offensive rebounding advantage led to 20 second chance points (vs 6 for OKC). The Suns getting multiple opportunities virtually wiped out the turnover advantage for the Thunder.
* Both teams finished with 15 made threes, but OKC was the better shooting team: 15-of-32 (46.9%) for the Thunder versus 15-of-44 (34.1%) for the Suns. Usually, if OKC is shooting 47% from three, SGA is just chilling on the bench.
* But with the offensive rebounding advantage, plus some incredible shot making for the Suns (especially in the fourth and down the stretch), Oklahoma City needed every bit of Shai's heroics in the fourth.
* Phoenix did this without Jalen Green and Grayson Allen. Is it bad that I'm impressed by the Suns? Could they actually be decent?
* Collin Gillespie (!) led the Suns with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 6-of-11 from three, Devin Booker added 21 points and 8 assists, and Dillon Brooks chipped in 19. Mark Williams absolutely bullied the glass with 13 points and 14 rebounds, including 4 offensive boards.
* With Hart out, Jaylin Williams played a critical role and overall he delivered: 14 points in 21 minutes on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep.
* The largest lead hit 15 for OKC, and it really felt at times like the Thunder were about to rip this open—but Phoenix’s late push and some timely threes turned it into a stress test instead of a typical blowout.
* Injury note: rookie guard Ajay Mitchell played just five minutes before leaving with a knee contusion, while Isaiah Hartenstein sat with ankle soreness.
* OKC is on a 77.9-win pace.
After the game, Mark Daigneault was asked whether these close games were a blessing. He said close games like this help the team get better. This reminds me of Patty Gasso (legendary Oklahoma softball coach), who says "pressure is a privilege." The Thunder is going to get their opponent's best shot. Teams want to take down the champs, especially with how good OKC is playing right now. And OKC finding ways to win these close games will help the team continue to recognize the privilege of the pressure.
Yeah, the team won a NBA championship with pressure moment after pressure moment, but if the Thunder is going to be a dynasty, it's going to be enduring a constant barrage of pressure moments. Lest we forget this is still a very young NBA team; if these kinds of games and challenges make this team better, the future keeps looking brighter.