When Friday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns was flexed to ESPN, the league likely thought it would get a superstar showdown between Kevin Durant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
By the time the game started though, neither were on the court for the opening tip.
Durant — recovering from a sprained MCL — is still awaiting to make his debut for the Suns. Gilgeous-Alexander — coming off of a 41-minute performance the previous night — was listed as questionable before eventually being ruled out due to ankle soreness and a hip flexor strain.
Even though the stars were out, the Thunder and Suns still provided an entertaining game. Without their one-time All-Star, the Thunder fought valiantly bought ultimately fell short to the Suns, 124-115.
The Thunder depended on the three-ball to produce points as they went 15-of-37 (40.5%) shooting from 3. Isaiah Joe made up for Gilgeous-Alexander’s lost production as he scored a career-high 28 points.
Overall, the Thunder shot 41-of-94 (43.6%) from the field.
“We paced with them for a good amount of the game (and) that’s because of our offense,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “… For the majority of the game, I thought our offense kept us afloat.”
Even with OKC’s impressive outside shooting, the Suns made it a non-factor as they were equally hot from 3 at 14-of-38 (36.8%) shooting. From the field, the Suns went 42-of-90 (46.7%).
“We were just overall not tight enough on that (defensive) end of the floor to really give ourselves a chance,” Daigneault said.
The Suns made it a habit to get to the free-throw line and enjoyed a significant scoring advantage in that area — a luxury the Thunder usually possess due to Gilgeous-Alexander. The Suns went 26-of-32 (81.3%) while the Thunder went 18-of-24 (75%) from the free-throw line.
An eight-point difference in a nine-point loss for the Thunder.
The Thunder masqueraded their scoring problems due to a hot shooting night, but there were several extensive stretches in the second half where it was clear they were missing Gilgeous-Alexander’s shot-making skills.
Josh Giddey and Lu Dort both tried to fill in that vacuum, but neither found a groove as they shot a collective 8-of-31 (25.8%) from the field. Without Joe’s career night, this game likely turns into a double-digit loss.
For the Suns, Devin Booker led the way with 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting and six assists. Booker enjoyed both the win and history as he became the all-time leader in Suns history for career made three-pointers.
Chris Paul also contributed with 16 points and six assists. Deandre Ayton collected a 14-point and 11-rebound double double. The Suns outscored the Thunder in bench points, 47-31.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.