OKLAHOMA CITY — As Josh Giddey checked out with a little over two minutes left, he received an ovation from the active OKC crowd. It was a well-deserved reception considering what unfolded inside Paycom Center spearheaded by the 21-year-old.
The Oklahoma City Thunder — who were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — delivered a convincing 128-103 win over the Phoenix Suns. OKC finished its season series against Phoenix with three wins.
“Our attacks were sharp early, we obviously had a great shooting night, so that helps,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Did a really good job at just staying on the gas against that team. Following our plan…
“We had the juice tonight on both ends of the floor. Really competed, did it together, did it on both ends and were able to sustain it for the most part of the 48 minutes. Gave the effort we needed to give to play that well against a team of that quality.”
A back-and-forth opening frame saw the Thunder hold a 34-32 lead. For the rest of the way, OKC held its lead and never allowed Phoenix to tie or regain it. OKC utilized a 36-point second quarter to enter halftime with a 70-59 lead.
A 20-7 run by OKC in the third frame helped it score 31 points in the quarter. The Thunder entered the fourth quarter with a huge 101-80 advantage. The Thunder cruised to a lopsided win with a 27-point final frame and led by as many as 29 points.
The Thunder enjoyed an efficient scoring performance. They shot 56% from the field and went 16-of-30 (53.3%) from 3. They shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. They dished out 33 assists on 49 baskets. Seven Thunder players — including their entire starting lineup — scored double-digit points.
Giddey continues his hot streak with a near 23-point triple-double. Chet Holmgren had 20 points and six rebounds. Jalen Williams finished with 16 points and four rebounds. OKC finished with 43 bench points.
“Hopefully, identity-wise, we kinda looked the same,” Daigneault said about their two games without Gilgeous-Alexander. “The goal would be, regardless of who’s on the floor, we’re kinda the same team. I do think him being out has allowed guys to stretch a little bit, even if just from a minute’s standpoint… I think it’s given some guys some confidence and some swagger that we can carry forward.”
It was an eventually distributed scoring output as six Thunder players scored at least 14 points in this decisive win. 12 players checked in for OKC in the blowout win.
“Everybody who stepped on the floor tonight was a big contributor for us,” Giddey said. “They’re the type of efforts you need against a really good team like that.”
The Suns were limited to 45% shooting from the field. They shot a cold 13-of-41 (31.7%) from 3. They had 26 assists on 39 baskets. Four Suns players scored double-digit points.
Kevin Durant led the way with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting and six rebounds. The future Hall-of-Famer drowned in loud boos each time he touched the ball by a rowdy crowd that resembled a playoff atmosphere. Outside of him though, his fellow co-stars struggled. Bradley Beal was limited to 15 points on 13 shots and Devin Booker had 14 points amid foul trouble.
It was a resume-building win for the Thunder without their MVP candidate. The Suns entered the contest fully healthy and have been seen as a playoff threat considering their experience. OKC keeps pace for the first seed with this one-sided affair.
“We got a deep team I think,” Giddey said. “One of the best players in the world not playing against a really tough team. Guys stepped up, guys see the opportunity they can get and they kinda relish in those moments.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Josh Giddey: A
Giddey continues his hot streak with another standout performance. He finished with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, nine assists and seven rebounds in 24 minutes and was a plus-22.
Giddey scored 13 points in the third quarter to lead OKC to a 31-point frame that slammed the door of a comeback attempt for the Suns. The outside shot wasn’t there, but he attacked the basket and shot 7-of-10 inside the paint.
Since Gilgeous-Alexander went down, the 21-year-old has exceeded expectations as OKC’s primary ball-handler. After struggling to start the season, it looks like he’s finally turned the corner at the right time of the year.
After the win, Giddey opened up about his struggles this season, revealing he hated when teams assigned their bigs on him and left him open from outside. He recently had an epiphany and realized to turn the cross-matching into an advantage for him.
“Probably the first 50 or so games, I used to overthink everything,” Giddey said on his recent play. “A lot of the time when I touched the ball, I would think too much about what I’m doing. And it’s hard to play that way. It’s hard to play freely and comfortably when that’s what’s happening…
“I used to hate it. I used to dread coming into a game knowing a big was going to guard me. I used to think, ‘It’s another one of these nights where they’re gonna dare me to shoot it.’ I used to judge my game so much on if I made or missed 3s.
“Now I’ve kinda changed my mindset going into games where it’s like, if teams are going to leave me open, I’m going to punish them and I’m going to make them pay and make them change their defensive scheme.”
Chet Holmgren: A
After fouling out in 18 minutes last game in their loss to the Houston Rockets, Holmgren had a bounce-back performance against the Suns.
In 28 minutes, Holmgren had 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. He was a plus-16.
“You can always look at last game and be like, ‘Just wasn’t my night,’ and just call it one of those,” Holmgren said on the differences between his last two games. “But I never try to do that. I always try to see where I can be better. A couple of the fouls were silly, a couple of the fouls were questionable and it all adds up… Came in more focused and ready to go tonight.”
Staying aggressive, the 21-year-old attacked the basket and received several calls to get to the free-throw line. He helped limit Jusuf Nurkic to five points and three rebounds after a career night on the boards for him the last time these squads met.
“Chet specifically did a really good job at scrapping and keeping him off the glass,” Daigneault said. “We had an emphasis at trying to hit him early in the game and set a physical tone with him.”
Aaron Wiggins: A
With Gilgeous-Alexander out, Wiggins received the starting nod for the first time this season. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes. He shot 3-of-4 from 3. He was a plus-16.
The outside shot fell for Wiggins as all three of his outside makes resulted in assists. He seamlessly fit in with the starters. The third-year wing has been an excellent option for OKC this season with his ability to create looks off of constant movement.
“You’re gonna be dealing with point-of-attack creators for 48 minutes against that team and two at a time,” Daigneault said on the starting decision. “When you start Cason and Lu together, you’re kinda frontloading your two dudes who carry that load.”
Cason Wallace: A
Coming off the bench, Wallace provided OKC the luxury of staggering their two best perimeter defenders. Tagged along with Dort, the Thunder had a chance to always have one of the two out there to defend every variation of the Suns’ three stars.
In 32 minutes off the bench, Wallace had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot a perfect 4-of-4 from 3. He was a game-high plus-23.
The 20-year-old gives OKC a superb catch-and-shoot option as all four of his outside makes resulted in assists. The rookie guard has been a key part of the Thunder’s rotation and has been used in the starting lineup when needed.
“We’re not really into the rookie walls as an organization,” Williams said on Wallace’s progression this season. “He’s done a really good job doing that. I think a lot of it just speaks to attitude. I think when you have a good approach and attitude and you go about having fun with the sport and kinda embracing the obstacles of an NBA season, it allows you to play really well.”
Isaiah Joe: A
Drilling a deep left-wing 3-pointer, Joe’s 25-foot shot provided OKC the late two-point lead in the final seconds of the first quarter. It never relinquished that lead the rest of the way.
Joe played a vital role in OKC’s monster bench night. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 4-of-7 from 3 and three rebounds in 22 minutes.
The sharpshooter has been a key bench piece for the Thunder in his tenure with OKC. He’s currently on a heater as he’s shot 57% from 3 on 5.3 attempts in his last four games.
“We’ve seen a lot from him,” Holmgren said about Joe. “Everybody sees the 3s, knows how well he can shoot the ball. Other teams that’s the top thing on the counting report for him. He does so many other things for us… He sticks his nose on every play on defense… He’s really not a one-dimensional player.”
