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 led 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 finishes its season series against Phoenix with three wins.
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.
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. 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, who were without their MVP candidate. The Suns entered the contest fully healthy and have been seen as a playoff threat. OKC keeps pace for the first seed with this one-sided affair.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
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 used to hate 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. “A lot of the time when I would touch 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.
“Now I’ve kind of 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.”
After fouling out in 18 minutes last game, 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.
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.
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.
Coming off the bench, Wallace provided OKC the luxury of staggering their two best perimeter defenders. Tagged along with Lu 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.