The Phoenix Suns have their first chance to avenge the worst loss in franchise history when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
The reigning NBA champion Thunder beat Phoenix 138-89 in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10 in Oklahoma City. They shot 59.1% from the field, including 22 of 40 3-point attempts.
The Suns, of course, could see the rematch coming, even as they blew out the Sacramento Kings 129-102 on Friday.
“We’re definitely not in the position to overlook any team,” said Suns guard Devin Booker, who had 33 points against the Kings and sat out the fourth quarter. “We’ll never be in that position, so we handled the task that was at hand.
“We know we have a really good team coming in, and I think we are all looking forward to it.”
The Thunder blasted the depleted Golden State Warriors 131-94 on Friday in San Francisco as Warriors starters Stephen Curry (ankle), Jimmy Butler (illness) and Draymond Green (rest) did not play.
“From box to wire, it was just a really consistent effort,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s a game really good teams can win but don’t get better in the game. We went out, earned a win, got better, built our habits. It was a really professional win.”
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points on the day he was announced as Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Sportsperson of the Year while Chet Holmgren was all over the stat sheet — 15 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and one steal in only 26 minutes.
“It’s the invisible things, too,” Daigneault said of Holmgren. “It’s the amount of plays that he impacts positively for the team you can’t put a value on.”
The Thunder have won four in a row but are only 6-4 since their decisive victory over the Suns, with three of the losses coming to San Antonio. Three of their last four wins have come by 25 points or more, which includes their 124-95 defeat of Portland on New Year’s Eve.
“The last two games, we’ve put together very complete 48-minute efforts where our identity was on in full force,” Daigneault said.
The Suns, who also lost to Oklahoma City 123-119 on Nov. 28, have won five of six. They had six double-figure scorers against the Kings while amassing 16 steals and nine blocks defensively.
Collin Gillespie had three 3-pointers and has made at least three in each of the last six games. Gillespie has 103 treys, the most in franchise history through 34 games, and shoots 42.9% from distance.
“I always knew I was a really good shooter,” Gillespie said. “And I always knew that it was something I would have to be really good at to be successful at the next level, even in college. I’ve just kind of tried to remain humble and hungry enough to continue to work at it.”
In the Suns’ two losses to the Thunder, No. 2 scorer Dillon Brooks (21.4 ppg) posted 35 points but hit only 10 of 34 from the field.
“As crazy as he is on the court, he’s the exact opposite (as a person),” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I appreciate him even more because he can flip that switch and do whatever it takes to win games.”
Suns guard Grayson Allen, who has missed the last eight games with a knee injury, was listed as a game-day decision on the Saturday injury report.
–Field Level Media
