Highlights: OKC 117, PHX 96
By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
BOX SCORE: OKC 117, PHX 96
THE BIG PICTURE
Competitiveness took center stage as the Thunder defeated the Suns 117-96 on Sunday night. The two short-handed squads played a close game in the first half, but the Thunder pulled away in the second thanks to a gritty defensive effort that held the Suns to just 18 percent shooting from the 3-point line. The Thunder’s offense received contributions from all nine players to step on the floor including Aleksej Pokuševski who finished with his first career triple-double and Olivier Sarr who led all scorers with a career-best 24 points and five 3-pointers.
MOMENTS FROM THE 48
The Second Half Difference
Phoenix, playing without Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Jae Crowder, jumped out to an early 12-point lead in the first quarter as the Thunder offense, who was playing with just nine players, took a beat to warm up. Midway through the frame, the Suns hit an extended dry spell offensively and the Thunder capitalized going on a quick 8-0 run to close the gap to just three points.
Phoenix’s dry spell never quite recovered.
At the end of the second quarter, forward Isaiah Roby sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Thunder its first lead of the night after outscoring the Suns 32-26.
Over the next two frames, the Thunder outpaced the number three offense in the league 65-43 while shooting a hyper-efficient 54 percent from the field.
The difference in the game came down to 3-point shooting and defense. The Thunder cashed in 11 3-pointers in the first half alone, extending its streak of games with 10 or more 3-pointers to 14 games. Meanwhile the Suns toiled to scrape together four triples during the same stretch.
That theme would continue through the rest of the night as the Suns finished with just seven made 3-pointers while shooting at an 18 percent clip. The Thunder, however, continued to fire away at 41 percent from behind the arc and 49 percent from the field to secure a hearty 22-point lead and safely keep the Suns at bay.
“Just competitiveness,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault “I thought our guys really competed on a possession-by-possession basis. Which for much of the year, that's what we've done. I thought guys dug in at a really high level and one through nine, everyone competed and contributed to the win.”
Defensive Hustle and Execution
Phoenix came into the game with the third best offensive rating in the league while shooting the ball at the fourth-highest clip from behind the arc. OKC held the team to under 100 points and just an 18 percent clip from behind the arc.
The Thunder put on a strong display of defensive execution by locating and firing out to shooters with urgency while also stifling the big men on the block. It was on the margins, however, where the Thunder found their edge throughout the night.
Virtually every 50/50 ball or loose ball on the floor belonged to the Thunder. Extra hustle and effort plays on the glass allowed OKC to double up the Suns in offensive rebounds 12 to 6. Simply put – the Thunder out-hustled the Suns.
“We just competed everywhere,” said Daigneault. “For 48 minutes, our guys were at a really, really high level of competitiveness and connection.”
“We got a lot of really good looks just off of transition, steals or rebounds,” said Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins who finished with 17 points. “Playing hard offensively, the second chance points, getting those rebounds and getting extra looks gave us a lot of confidence as we were able to get going and get into a groove.”
Poku’s Triple-Double
With a minute left, Aleksej Pokuševski missed a short runner on the baseline, but the 7-footer scooped up his own rebound and floated in the loose change. With that offensive board, the Serbia native pulled down his 10th rebound and became the 12th youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double at 20 years and 98 days old.
After a slow start in the first half, the second year forward finished the game with 17 points, a career-high 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Throughout the night, Pokuševski was charged with running the Thunder offense – bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the action. As a result, the 7-footer had the chance to show off his simplified and improved decision-making that has resulted in an uptick in assists this season.
In the middle of his walk-off interview for Bally Sports Oklahoma, Pokuševski’s teammates drenched him in water to celebrate his career night.
“The first half was not the best for me. So I was thinking what should I do better?” Pokuševski said. “I was just being more aggressive in the second half and making more simple decisions.”
Big Night for Big O
It was Thunder two-way center Olivier Sarr who made the biggest contributions to the team’s 3-point barrage on Sunday night. The 7-footer confidently stepped into and drained a career-high five 3-pointers on the night including a 4-point play where Phoenix’s Cam Johnson overcommitted on a contest. Sarr finished the game with a career-best 24 points.
Overall, the Frenchman took advantage of his ability to stretch the floor against the likes of JaVale McGee and went 9-of-12 from the field and sank 5-of-6 from behind the ark.
“Dating back through the [OKC] Blue, he's shot that and shot it with confidence, and we've encouraged him to do that from the jump,” said Daigneault.
“My teammates found me,” said Sarr. “I was open. I don't think I forced any shots and it just went in for me tonight.”
THE LAST WORD
WHAT'S NEXT
The Thunder hosts the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night in its final home game of the season. The game tips off a road-home back-to-back where the team will fly to Utah to take on the Jazz Wednesday night.