Coming off arguably their best win of the season, the Phoenix Suns once again could not sustain momentum and got blown out 128-103 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“It’s an embarrassing performance,” coach Frank Vogel said postgame. “We all got to own it, and we all gotta be better. We all gotta handle success better. Again, unacceptable to get blown out in these games that are so important. Every game matters in the standings right now, and we got to be better.”
A 104-97 victory over the defending-champion Denver Nuggets Wednesday did not carry over at all tonight, as the Thunder shot 49-for-87 (56.3%) from the field and 16-for-30 (53.3%) from deep even without their MVP candidate in Gilgeous-Alexander. This was the Suns’ second largest margin of defeat of the season, only behind a 138-111 loss to the Clippers on Jan. 8.
OKC had seven players score in double-figures, led by Josh Giddey who had 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
“This a deep team,” Vogel said of the Thunder. “They’re stronger with Shai, but they have plenty of firepower without Shai to beat anybody in this league. Giddey’s one of best young players in the league. Chet Holmgren’s one of the best young players in the league. Jalen Williams is one of the best young players in the league. Their role players play above themselves, or at least they did tonight. I mean, coach (Mark Daigneault) is doing a great job over there, and they’re extremely deep. You can talk about Shai all you want, but this team is as deep as any team in the NBA.”
With the loss, Phoenix falls to 43-31 and eighth in the Western Conference, while the Thunder improve to 51-22 and tied for first in the West. For the first time since the 2018-19 season, Oklahoma City swept Phoenix in the season series 3-0.
“This is a tough matchup for us,” Vogel said. “These guys are young, fast, athletic, and they shoot the hell out of it. And they defend. We haven’t figured out the blueprint how to beat these guys yet. All three games have been tough for us. We knew that coming in, have to be better.”
Kevin Durant, who was met with boos eight years after his departure from Oklahoma City, led Phoenix with 26 points and six rebounds, but was the only Suns’ player to score more than 15 points. The Suns, who were completely healthy outside Damion Lee, shot 39-of-87 (44.8%) from the field and 13-for-41 (32%) from 3. Phoenix once against lost the turnover battle 14-10, leading to 15 points off turnovers for the Thunder.
“We got to shoot the ball better,” Vogel said. “They shot the heck out of it, and we didn’t, so I mean, that’s a piece of it. But to me, it’s about we got to figure out this matchup.”
Phoenix waved the white flag with 7:34 to go, and fans finally got to see the first points for Isaiah Thomas, who is reportedly planning to sign a second 10-day contract with Phoenix. Thomas ended with five points, playing all of these final minutes.
Game Flow
The Suns were able to keep it close in the first quarter, only trailing by two, 34-32, after cashing home six 3-pointers, at the end of the first.
END 1Q: #Thunder 34 – #Suns 32
Solid start for Phoenix, but Thunder's hot shooting (4-7 3PT) and 0 TOs (vs. 3 for Suns) propel them to the lead. Grayson Allen leads Suns with 9 points (4-5 FG), 4 rebounds. Bradley Beal 6 points, Kevin Durant 5.
Josh Giddey leads OKC with 6.
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) March 30, 2024
However, this did not continue and OKC built a huge lead in second quarter. The Thunder shot 74% overall and 4-for-4 from deep in the second. In comparison, Phoenix went 1-for-6 from 3 this quarter.
The Suns had seven turnovers leading to 11 Thunder points at halftime compared only two for Oklahoma City. OKC went 28-for-45 (62%) on field goals and 8-for-11 (73%) from 3 in the first half to take a 70-59 halftime lead. There wasn’t one particular player that was making a big difference for the Thunder, as their bench outscored Phoenix’s 32-6 in the half.
Very poor defensive half for the Suns. OKC shot 28-45 (62%) on FGs, 8-11 (73%) from deep. 14-19 (74%) in 2Q, 4-4 from 3. Four Suns in double-figures led by Kevin Durant with 14
Isaiah Joe has 14, as OKC bench outscoring Phoenix's 32-6.
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) March 30, 2024
The beating continued after halftime, as OKC extended the lead to as much as 26, 97-71, in the third. Phoenix had a strong close to the period, finally getting consecutive stops, but were down 21 heading into the fourth.
END 3Q: #Thunder 101 – #Suns 80
Strong close to quarter by Suns, but didn't matter because how big OKC lead is. Thunder shooting 60% from the field and 58% from 3 in total. In 3Q, Suns only shot 8-for-26 (31%) and 3-for-14 (21%) from 3.
Josh Giddey up to 21 points for OKC.
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) March 30, 2024
This eliminated any hope of a comeback for the Suns, who were outscored 27-23 in the fourth, meaning they lost every single quarter.
Next Up
The Suns will look to rebound from this loss Monday night (April 1), when they travel to play the New Orleans Pelicans (45-28). This game will cap off Phoenix’s five-game road trip.
Phoenix now has eight games remaining, all against teams with a better record than them, as the Suns continue their brutal end to the season.
“Win the next game,” Vogel said of what the team has to figure out moving forward. “That’s all we got to do. In the bigger picture, we got to work on our transition defense and keep our turnovers down. Okay, but the only thing that matters to us right now is beating the Pelicans.”
Phoenix Suns reportedly signing Isaiah Thomas to second 10-day contract
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
