Game Recap: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates as Suns suffer 140-109 collapse

After a dormant day on the trade market, the Suns get destroyed in OKC.

Oh, hey! Basketball!

Yeah, with all the trade speculation swirling, there are still actual basketball games to be played on this final day before the NBA trade deadline. The Phoenix Suns, fresh off back-to-back losses to the Portland Trail Blazers, wrapped up their three-game road trip with yet another defeat, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The score? 140-109.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show, at one point scoring 50 while the Suns had just 87 as a team. The MVP candidate was unstoppable, doing whatever he pleased on the court, and Phoenix had no answers for his brilliance. It was a masterclass, and the Suns were left powerless in his wake.

The Suns, who held a two-point lead at the half, looked nothing short of helpless in the third quarter. They managed just one field goal, undone by the Thunder’s relentless defense that forced poor decisions, disrupted every shot, and imposed their will at every turn.

Oklahoma City is everything Phoenix is not: cohesive, connected, long, athletic, energetic, and, above all, a winning basketball team. The Suns, on the other hand, are stuck at .500, 25-25, with no clear direction as they march toward the NBA’s toughest remaining schedule. The arrow is pointing down, and the road ahead looks daunting.

Game Flow

First Half

The Suns came out firing from deep, sinking 4 of their first 7 threes. With Kevin Durant sidelined and Royce O’Neale joining Grayson Allen in the starting lineup, the floor was well-spaced, and Phoenix took full advantage.

But up 17-11, an all-too-familiar guest crashed the party, Mr. Turnover. Devin Booker coughed up back-to-back live-ball turnovers, both leading to easy layups for the Thunder. That came on the heels of two missed threes, making for a rocky start to his night, to say the least.

The Thunder’s length and relentless defense made life difficult for Phoenix, forcing a couple of 24-second violations. Despite the pressure, the Suns stayed afloat behind their three-point shooting, knocking down 5-of-12 from deep in the opening period.

But Oklahoma City took control off of 5 Phoenix turnovers, closing the quarter on a 26-16 run behind 13 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. By the time the dust settled, the Thunder held a 37-33 lead after one.

The Thunder opened the quarter ice-cold, missing their first five shots despite grabbing a couple of offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal started finding his rhythm. His stop-and-go craftiness created open looks, and he made the most of them, knocking down jumpers with ease.

Phoenix caught fire with a 17-4 run, building a nine-point lead midway through the quarter behind Bradley Beal’s steady hand. The ball was moving, the offense was fluid, and isolation plays were kept to a minimum. The unselfishness showed on the stat sheet…13 assists on their first 19 made shots.

The Suns built a 12-point lead, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had other plans. He took over, pouring in 15 of the Thunder’s 24 second-quarter points, pushing his total to 28 by halftime.

Phoenix was its own worst enemy, shooting a blistering 60% but coughing up 11 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Thunder, despite shooting just 45%, took care of the ball with only two giveaways. That was enough to erase most of the Suns’ cushion, trimming the lead to just two as Phoenix held a slim 63-61 advantage at the break.

Second Half

The third quarter opened with a 9-0 OKC run, fueled by their relentless defense. The culprit? Turnovers. Three more from the Suns, who once again couldn’t get out of their own way.

The 9-0 run quickly snowballed into a 13-0 blitz to start the third, as the Suns went ice-cold. Their first point didn’t come until Devin Booker sank a free throw at the 7:39 mark, but even that didn’t stop the bleeding.

Phoenix remained stuck in the mud, missing their first seven shots and committing five turnovers. By the time they finally hit a field goal — at the 6:04 mark — the damage was done. The Thunder’s run had swelled to 20-4, and the Suns found themselves staring at a 14-point deficit. That would be their only field goal of the quarter.

This wasn’t just a bad quarter. It was a catastrophe. Quite possibly the worst 12 minutes any team has put together this season. One made field goal. Outscored by 27. Eight turnovers. Just an absolute meltdown.

By the time the third mercifully ended, Oklahoma City had ripped off a staggering 54-19 run, leaving the Suns in complete and utter disarray.

The fourth quarter happened, but who cares?

---

Up Next

The deadline is tomorrow, so when the Suns come home to the play the Utah Jazz on Friday, this could be a different team. Until then, we’ll watch and we’ll wait to see what the Suns can do to (hopefully) improve this team.

Stay tuned to Bright Side as we don’t stop. Ever.

---

Listen to our latest podcast episode in the player below, and to stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the Suns JAM Session podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.

Please subscribe, rate, and review.