OKLAHOMA CITY — Two nights after Devin Booker scored 43 against Golden State, the Oklahoma City Thunder held him to three points and beat the Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Monday at Paycom Center.
Oklahoma City led nearly the whole way, and the game turned late in the second quarter, when the Thunder ripped off a 22-6 run built on second-chance buckets. The lead grew to 22 in the second half, and Phoenix spent the rest of the night chasing it.
That is the frustrating part for Suns fans. Oklahoma City was there for the taking on paper, down Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to injuries that will require surgery, and Chet Holmgren sitting out the second night of a back-to-back. The Thunder even lost Alex Caruso to an ankle sprain in the second quarter. It did not matter. Ajay Mitchell scored 30 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26, and the Thunder moved to 4-0.
Jalen Green led Phoenix with 20 points and Dillon Brooks added 19, but this one came down to Booker having a night unlike any he has had in years. Three points, two nights after 43, and the Suns never found a second scorer to carry the offense while he struggled.
The deeper worry is one Booker himself named before the game, when he warned that once a team gets a reputation for giving up offensive rebounds, everyone starts crashing the boards. Oklahoma City’s second-chance points in the deciding run were exactly that, and it is the same glass question Jordan Ott raised before the season about whether these smaller units can rebound well enough to survive nights like this.
Phoenix kept pushing late and cut into the lead in the final minutes, but the hole was too deep. The Suns are off until Friday, when Denver visits Phoenix.
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© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us
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