If you turned on the TV Wednesday night expecting a competitive basketball game, you probably checked your cable box to make sure you weren’t watching a rerun of a varsity team scrimmaging the JV squad. The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t just beat the Phoenix Suns; they dismantled them, piece by piece, in a 138-89 drubbing that felt over before the popcorn finished popping.
Improving to a staggering 24-1 record, this Thunder team has now tied the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. You know, the team that won 73 games? That is the company OKC is keeping right now.
Thunder Offense Looks Unstoppable
Let’s talk about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The man is playing basketball at a level that feels unfair to everyone else. He dropped 28 points and didn’t even need to step on the court for the fourth quarter. It was his 96th straight game scoring at least 20 points, a streak that is starting to feel as inevitable as taxes.
But it wasn’t just the SGA show. Chet Holmgren added 24 points and snagged 8 boards, and Jalen Williams decided to twist the knife by hitting a buzzer-beater three to end the first half. That shot put the Thunder up 74-48 at the break. At that point, the Suns weren’t playing to win; they were playing to get to the team bus.
Frustrations Boil Over For Phoenix
You can tell how badly a game is going by the body language, and the Suns looked miserable. Without Devin Booker (out with a groin strain), Phoenix had zero answers for the Thunder defense. They shot under 40% from the field and looked completely disjointed.
Things got ugly in the third quarter. Phoenix Guard Grayson Allen, never a stranger to controversy, got ejected after a hard shove on Holmgren. Allen took a Flagrant 2 foul and an early shower after knocking the OKC big man to the floor. It was a moment of pure frustration from a team that was down by nearly 40 points at the time. When you’re losing by that much, cooler heads rarely prevail.
Thunder Defense Is the Real Story
While the offensive fireworks grab the headlines, the Thunder defense is what should scare the rest of the league. They forced 21 turnovers and turned those mistakes into 34 easy points. When you combine 59% shooting from the field with a suffocating defense, you get a 49-point blowout. This was the largest margin of victory in the NBA this season.
What’s Next For the Thunder?
With this win, Oklahoma City punches its ticket to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas. They’ll face either the Lakers or the Spurs on Saturday. If they keep playing like this, the rest of the league is playing for second place.
