PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns have their first chance to avenge the worst loss in franchise history when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night (Monday morning, Singapore time).
Reigning NBA champions Thunder beat Phoenix 138-89 in the NBA Cup quarter-finals on Dec 10 in Oklahoma City. The Suns’ previous worst defeat was a 129-81 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 2017-18.
Phoenix could see the rematch coming, even as they blew out the Sacramento Kings 129-102 on Friday.
“We’re definitely not in the position to overlook any team,” said Suns guard Devin Booker, who had 33 points against the Kings. “We’ll never be in that position, so we handled the task that was at hand.
“We know we have a really good team coming in, and I think we are all looking forward to it.”
The Thunder blasted the depleted Golden State Warriors 131-94 on Friday in San Francisco as Warriors starters Stephen Curry (ankle), Jimmy Butler (illness) and Draymond Green (rest) did not play.
Such has been their dominance that the Western Conference leaders will head into their clash with the Suns as the overwhelming favourites.
“From box to wire, it was just a really consistent effort,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We went out, earned a win, got better, built our habits. It was a really professional win.”
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points on the day he was announced as Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Sportsperson of the Year while Chet Holmgren was all over the stat sheet – 15 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and one steal in only 26 minutes.
“It’s the invisible things, too,” Daigneault added of Holmgren, in a warning sign to the Suns that it is not just Gilgeous-Alexander who is a key player.
“It’s the amount of plays that he impacts positively for the team you can’t put a value on.”
The Thunder have won four in a row but are only 6-4 since their decisive victory over the Suns, with three of the losses coming to San Antonio. Three of their last four wins have come by 25 points or more, which includes their 124-95 defeat of Portland on New Year’s Eve.
“The last two games, we’ve put together very complete 48-minute efforts where our identity was on in full force,” Daigneault said.
The Suns, who also lost to Oklahoma City 123-119 on Nov 28, have won five of six. They had six double-figure scorers against the Kings while amassing 16 steals and nine blocks defensively.
In their two losses to the Thunder, Dillon Brooks posted 35 points but hit only 10 of 34 from the field. Nevertheless, he has been singled out by Gilgeous-Alexander as one to keep an eye on.
“As crazy as he is on the court, he’s the exact opposite (as a person),” the Thunder star guard said. “I appreciate him even more because he can flip that switch and do whatever it takes to win games.”
Meanwhile in NBA action on Saturday, Jaylen Brown tied a career high with 50 points, Derrick White added 29 and the sharp-shooting Boston Celtics earned a 146-115 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, who saw their six-game winning streak end at Inglewood, California.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry scored 20 of his team-high 31 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors overcame a double-digit deficit and the ejection of Draymond Green for a 123-114 triumph over the Utah Jazz in San Francisco.
Deni Avdija amassed a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double that included the deciding 3-pointer in the final minute to help the visiting Portland Trail Blazers hold on for a 115-110 win over the short-handed Spurs. REUTERS
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