Game ID: 22301069
Phoenix Suns @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday, March 29, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 34 36 31 27 128PHX 32 27 21 23 103
OKC vs PHX ScoutingOKC vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 3/10 after 9, 8 min since (80% of 10)
OKC availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 3/20 after 3, 4 min since (41% of 10)
NEW Hayward 15 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/27 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
NEW K. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Gilgeous-Alexande missed 2 since 3/27, returns tonight: 35 min (101% of 35)
OUT Dieng missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
NEW K. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 6 since 3/22, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 3/31 after 2, 35 min since (101% of 35)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 21 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 4/03 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 7 since 3/22, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 3/31 after 2, 35 min since (101% of 35)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 24 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Gilgeous-Alexande missed 2 since 4/02, out tonight
OUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 4/02, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 8 since 3/22, out tonight
NEW Joe 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Wiggins 16 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Jay. Williams 13 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/21 · back-to-backOUT Okogie missed 9 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
PHX availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 10 since 3/03, returns tonight: 10 min (62% of 16)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (81% of 28)
PHX availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restBACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 10 min since (62% of 16)
PHX availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 10 min since (62% of 16)
PHX availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 3/25, returns tonight: 14 min (88% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/01 · 2 days' restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 12 min since (75% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 12 min since (75% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 4/01, returns tonight: 4 min (26% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 105, shooting 53 percent and 47 from three, 14 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 47 percent from three to OKC's 34 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and OKC minus-1. Call it OKC 115, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/22 @ TOR 123-103 — OKC notes
OKC won 123-103. OKC shot 51% (48 of 95) to TOR's 53%, 12 of 32 from three. OKC turned it over 15 times to TOR's 27. The glass went 46-36 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 23 (9 of 20, 1 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Holmgren 18. The hinge was Q2, 35-21: OKC came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 22. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/24 @ MIL 93-118 — OKC notes
OKC lost 93-118. OKC shot 37% (33 of 89) to MIL's 53%, 10 of 43 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIL's 14 — 17 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 37-57 against them. Giddey led with 19 (7 of 12, 4 of 6 from three); Jal. Williams added 18, Gilgeous-Alexander 12. Q2 was theirs, 25-23, the deficit cut from 3 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 95-68 against them. Dort's -18 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/26 @ NOP 119-112 — OKC notes
OKC won 119-112. OKC shot 53% (46 of 86) to NOP's 45%, 15 of 34 from three, and got to the line 14 times to NOP's 23. Jal. Williams led with 26 (9 of 18, 3 of 6 from three); Giddey added 25, Gilgeous-Alexander 24. The hinge was Q2, 40-24: OKC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 20. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/27 vs HOU 126-132 — OKC notes
OKC lost 126-132 in 1 overtime. OKC shot 49% (47 of 96) to HOU's 48%, 14 of 38 from three. Giddey led with 31 (12 of 20, 0 of 3 from three, 7 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 23, Joe 17. Q2 was theirs, 33-21, turning a 11-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 111-93 against them. Jal. Williams's -14 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/29 vs PHX 128-103 — OKC notes
OKC won 128-103. OKC shot 56% (49 of 87) to PHX's 45%, 16 of 30 from three. Giddey led with 23 (10 of 15, 1 of 3 from three); Holmgren added 20, Wallace 16. The hinge was Q3, 31-21: a lead of 11 became 21, and the lead reached 29. Wallace was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/31 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brunson at 32 and DiVincenzo at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Anunoby (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Giddey at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. Without Gilgeous-Alexander (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-1 and the defense, New York allowing 107 a night to OKC's 114. Call it New York 116, OKC 112, OKC keeping it close.
4/02 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 16 free throws a game; Maxey at 24 and Harris at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Embiid (29 straight), Melton (17 straight), Covington (43 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jal. Williams at 23 and Giddey at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-3 and the arc, Philadelphia at 44 percent from three to OKC's 38. Call it Philadelphia 116, OKC 113, OKC keeping it close.
4/03 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Brown at 20 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jal. Williams at 24 and Giddey at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Boston 118, OKC 113.
4/05 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Haliburton at 21 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jal. Williams at 24 and Giddey at 19 a game. Without Gilgeous-Alexander (2 straight), Jal. Williams (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, OKC giving it away 14 times a game to Indiana's 9 and the defense, Indiana allowing 111 a night to OKC's 118. Call it Indiana 119, OKC 115, OKC keeping it close.
3/21 vs ATL 128-115 — PHX notes
PHX won 128-115. PHX shot 55% (41 of 74) to ATL's 44%, 22 of 41 from three. PHX turned it over 17 times to ATL's 8, and ATL turned those into 11 steals. Booker led with 30 (10 of 15, 6 of 8 from three); Gordon added 21, Durant 19. The hinge was Q2, 35-23: PHX came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 5. Bol was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/23 @ SAS 131-106 — PHX notes
PHX won 131-106. PHX shot 60% (56 of 94) to SAS's 47%, 11 of 24 from three, and got to the line 10 times to SAS's 21. PHX turned it over 8 times to SAS's 15. Booker led with 32 (14 of 24, 3 of 7 from three); Durant added 25, Beal 13. The hinge was Q3, 38-24: a lead of 18 became 32. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/25 @ SAS 102-104 — PHX notes
PHX lost 102-104. PHX shot 51% (42 of 83) to SAS's 44%, 10 of 28 from three. PHX turned it over 14 times to SAS's 7, and SAS turned those into 10 steals. Booker led with 36 (14 of 28, 3 of 10 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Durant added 29, O'Neale 12. Q2 was theirs, 28-18, turning a 7-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 86-74 against them.
3/27 @ DEN 104-97 — PHX notes
PHX won 104-97. PHX shot 47% (39 of 83) to DEN's 43%, 16 of 33 from three. PHX turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-38 for them. Durant led with 30 (12 of 20, 3 of 4 from three); Booker added 17, Allen 13. The hinge was Q2, 30-23: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Young was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/29 @ OKC 103-128 — PHX notes
PHX lost 103-128. PHX shot 45% (39 of 87) to OKC's 56%, 13 of 41 from three. Durant led with 26 (10 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Beal added 15, Booker 14. Q1 was theirs, 32-34, but the other 3 periods went 94-71 against them. Nurkić's -22 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. Without Ingram (5 straight), Alvarado (2 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 24 free throws a game to Phoenix's 15 and the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 37. Call it New Orleans 113, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/03 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 30 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Allen at 19 and Eva. Mobley at 18 a game. Without Okoro (2 straight), Wade (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and Cleveland minus-2. Call it Phoenix 115, Cleveland 111, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/05 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Booker at 32 and Durant at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 98, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 21 and Reid at 18 a game. Without Towns (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and Minnesota minus-2 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to Phoenix's 108. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/07 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; McCollum at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Ingram (8 straight), Alvarado (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Phoenix 113, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
DR D. Roddy
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
IT I. Thomas
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
GH G. Hayward
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
MM M. Muscala
PHX/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Oklahoma City's No. 4 scorer has been playing more like a first option lately.
Josh Giddey scored 23 points to help the Thunder roll past the Phoenix Suns 128-103 on Friday night, despite All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sitting out with a bruised right thigh.
Giddey, who averages about 12 points, has averaged 26.3 in his past three games. He made 10 of 15 field goals against Phoenix and had nine assists and seven rebounds. He’s helping the Thunder stay well-positioned for the postseason — Oklahoma City tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the Western Conference.
Giddey said he struggled early in the season as he struggled with his shot teams sagged off of him.
“Probably the first, you know, 50 or so games, I used to overthink everything," he 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. You know, it’s hard to play freely and comfortably when that’s what’s happening."
He's made 65% of his field goals in the three-game stretch.
“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,” he said.
The effort to fill Gilgeous-Alexander's void was collective Friday. Chet Holmgren scored 20 points and Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace each added 16 for Oklahoma City. Without Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s No. 3 scorer at 30.4 points per game, the Thunder still shot 56.3% and made 16 of 30 3-pointers.
Kevin Durant scored 26 points for the Suns. Thunder fans still haven't forgiven him for leaving Oklahoma City to join the Golden State Warriors after the 2015-16 season. They booed him during pregame introductions and whenever he touched the ball once the game started.
Oklahoma City swept the season series 3-0, something Durant doesn’t consider a big deal.
“I like our chances of getting anybody regardless,” he said. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see them again. But you’ve got to tip your hat to them. They play a great brand of basketball.”
Bradley Beal scored 15 points and Devin Booker added 14 for the Suns, who slipped as they try to avoid the Play-In Tournament. They started the night in seventh in the Western Conference, a half- game behind the Dallas Mavericks for sixth. The Suns need to finish sixth or better to stay out of the Play-In.
Oklahoma City shot 62% in the first half to lead 70-59 at the break. Isaiah Joe scored all 14 of his points in the first half and made all four of his 3-pointers. The Thunder made 8 of 11 threes before the break.
The Thunder continued their blistering shooting in the third quarter. Oklahoma City's Aaron Wiggins stole an errant Durant pass, then made a layup on the other end to put the Thunder ahead 90-68. Oklahoma City led 101-80 at the end of the period.