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In the first half, the ball was moving, Phoenix was scoring, the Thunder were struggling, and the Suns led by as many as 20.
If it weren't for the same players and uniforms, you'd have thought the fourth quarter belonged to a completely different game. The Suns optimal ball movement and recently fortified defense had simply ceased, giving way to a barrage of Oklahoma City three-pointers. The Thunder raced out to their own double-digit lead, which they kept along with a 109-97 win at Phoenix.
The loss was a huge blow to the Suns' postseason hopes, which must now overcome a four-game deficit with eight games remaining. In reality, it's a five-game deficit, since Oklahoma City now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1.
Like the loss, those odds are difficult to swallow. The following also needs to be processed:
3. Phoenix showed its best self in the first half
Markieff Slams It Home
All six of the Suns' first made baskets came on assists. While Markieff Morris was hot (16 first-quarter points), he was not selfish. Four of his teammates scored at least eight points in the first half, including rookie T.J. Warren
The first quarter captured everything that had recently gone right for Phoenix on the defensive end. They held the Thunder to just 42.9-percent shooting and nearly doubled their effort on the glass.
2. The Suns showed much less in the second half
As Head Coach Jeff Hornacek said afterwards, it was "a tale of two halves." Phoenix couldn't buy a basket after intermission, hitting just 13-of-40 (32.5%) from the field. After scoring 35 points in the first quarter, the Suns mustered 35 total in the thrid and fourth quarters combined.
Meanwhile Oklahoma City rode its bench, not Russell Westbrook for the game-changing run. The Thunder hit 6-of-12 from downtown in the final period, with five of those triples coming from reserves D.J. Augustin and Anthony Morrow.
The barrage of threes sapped the Suns' strength, which in turn yielded six turnovers in the fourth quarter.
1. The rest of the season still matters
Warren to the Basket
The Suns are still technically alive in the playoff race, but an uphill battle has now morphed into a mountain climb worthy of Cliffhanger.
That isn't the only reason the remaining eight games still matter. Any chemistry gained over the final two weeks of the season is valuable, especially since over half the roster arrived after New Year's. Good habits can be established, bad ones diminished.
"We'll find out what kind of character they have," said Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek.