Thunder 105, Suns 108: The Day After Report

Nuggets and notes

• The Thunder led 80% of the time this game and still outpaced Phoenix with an L, ending OKC’s four-game win streak.
• OKC led by as many as 18 in the first half and was up by six with four minutes left, but while Phoenix was given credit for always having an answer, the Thunder had multiple chances to slam the door and couldn’t do it.
• Oklahoma City’s defense kept Phoenix in check – in fact, Phoenix had two FG droughts longer than four minutes in the first half – but OKC’s failure to score reliably allowed the Suns to stay within striking distance.
• I can’t help but think OKC is a better team than Phoenix despite the result. This was a tough night offensively, especially from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA will not often have such free evenings.
• (It’s wild that a bad night for the MVP is 25 points and 6 assists on 8-of-22 shooting. But it’s a bad night because SGA’s standard is so high and so consistent.)
• Jalen Williams was in great form, scoring 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, plus 7 assists. J-Dub had 11 in the fourth quarter alone, including an absolutely clutch step-back jumper that tied the game at 105 with just over 8 seconds left.
• Chet: also very good. Chet’s defense remained strong and he was a force inside. Especially lately, he has been a terrorist force within. Holmgren hit three shots and probably scared them away, sending another ten through. Oh, and Chet had a clutch shot of his own. After Dillon Brooks hit a near-dagger 3 with 36 seconds left, Chet responded by bringing OKC within 2 with a cool mid-range jumper.
• Isaiah Hartenstein was missed. The Suns defeated OKC 49-29, including 12 offensive rebounds. OKC had 2 offensive rebounds.
• Stats that probably mattered: fast break points (Suns 15, OKC 2); points off turnovers (Sun 21, OKC 18). The Thunder got beat at its own game.
• Jordan Goodwin cooked the Thunder. Goodwin scored a career-high 26 points and I was wondering if PJ Washington was traded to Phoenix and donned a Jordan Goodwin suit.

One important takeaway

Winning 74 games is probably off the table now, and honestly? It doesn’t really matter to me. That chase for the wins record was a reach to begin with, and if you look at the outcome of the season for the last team to set the wins record, I think they would give the record back to win a title.

At this point in the season, wins and losses only mean anything if they affect playoff seeding and whether the playoff games go through Oklahoma City. That’s the real goal. No one is hanging up a banner for dominance in the first half of the season.

Wash this one off, move on and let’s beat the Hornets.