Heading into halftime in a critical Sunday afternoon matchup against the #8 seed OKC Thunder, the Suns held a 12-point lead and seemed to be rolling offensively.
However, without Deandre Ayton and Kevin Durant, Devin Booker could only do so much, and his 46-point masterclass was not good enough to grab a win on the road.
After the loss, Suns’ HC Monty Williams stated:
“This one’s on me. I gotta get guys in the game that can create a rhythm, especially on defense.”
The Thunder scored 124 on the Suns, including 67 in the second half. This is just above their season average, as OKC is home to the third-best overall offense in the league.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up a 40-piece on just 24 shots. It was the 24-year-old’s first 40-point game since February 10th.
Next for the Suns is a Wednesday night matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. This is then followed by back-to-back matchups against a pair of the top teams in the NBA, the Kings and the 76ers.
With such a small margin for error in the Western Conference, it is pivotal for the Suns to take at least two of three if they want to stay in the top five of the conference.
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