Who: Phoenix Suns (32–22) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (41-13) When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports Listen: KMVP
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The Phoenix Suns are fresh off an interesting win over Dallas last night, to say the least. Tonight’s contest will be their final before the 2026 All-Star Break. The Suns are 18-9 at home. Time to finish strong!
Hopefully, the free-throw disparity will not be as dramatic as last night’s was against Dallas. Teams were 8-56 in those instances throughout NBA history, and Phoenix became the 9th team in those 65 games to win.
Speaking of free throws, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be out for this one as he continues his recovery from an abdominal injury. The Thunder took care of business minus Shai against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday night, led by 23 points from Jalen Williams.
We will see if either Devin Booker or Jalen Green suits up for this one, as they were both listed as questionable on the injury report. That will be a massive factor in this one, as the Suns may opt to enter the break with those two resting their ailments.
The Suns have smashed their over/under in February. Ahead of the All-Star Break. That alone is wild and worth celebrating, given the low expectations this team had entering the season. Mat Ishbia let Bill Simmons know about it. Let’s go get win number 33.
This is the fourth time these teams will meet this season, with OKC leading the season series 2-1. And no, this is not the last time they will meet, as they will square off against each other five times this year as Phoenix’s “reward” for making the In-Season Tournament knockout rounds.
Probable Starters
Phoenix
- Mark Williams
- Royce O’Neale
- Dillon Brooks
- Devin Booker*
- Collin Gillespie
Thunder
- Isaiah Hartenstein
- Chet Holmgren
- Jalen Williams
- Luguentz Dort
- Cason Wallace
Injury Report
Suns
- Devin Booker — QUESTIONABLE (Ankle)
- Jalen Green — QUESTIONABLE (Hamstring)
- Grayson Allen — OUT (Knee)
- Cole Anthony — OUT (Not with team)
- Isaiah Livers — OUT (Shoulder)
Thunder
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — OUT (Abdomen)
- Ajay Mitchell — OUT (Abdomen)
What to Watch For
The Thunder are still a deep, dangerous squad with plenty of weapons that can hurt you. Their guard depth comes at you in waves, and you still have to deal with their size in Holmgren and Hartenstein down low.
Signs of life offensively from Ryan Dunn… is his confidence back? Would love to see him and Oso finish strong here, entering the break with a pep in their step. They had a couple of nice plays together last night, and Dunn’s shot was falling, along with aggressive, confident takes to the rim. More!
The deciding factor in this one could be whether or not Booker and Green suit up. If they are both a no-go, then scoring becomes an issue against a versatile defensive OKC squad. Alex Caruso and Lu Dort will do what they do, and the rest of their guard rotation can get buckets in Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins, to name a few. We’ll see if newcomer Jared McCain gets more run in this one as well.
Keys to a Suns Win
Battle on the glass. The Suns will need to keep the Thunder bigs off the glass. Hartenstein and Holmgren combined for 19 boards in their last meeting, and Phoenix runs a small “four man” consistently, so it’s one of those battles within the battle to monitor.
Outplay them. You aren’t going to out-talent the Thunder. You need to beat them in their own game — deflections, defensive chaos, physicality, second chance points, etc. If the Suns show up defensively and their role players knock some threes down, they will have a chance. If they aren’t exceeding the Thunder’s intensity, then their odds decrease significantly.
Jalen Green vs. Jalen Williams. Two talented Jalens who have each missed their fair share of time this season. Phoenix will need to contain Williams, as he had a slow start in his return but exploded in the second half to lead OKC to the win over the Lakers on Monday. Green is listed as questionable, and if he’s unable to go, expect a larger role for Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Jamaree Bouyea.
For the Suns, it’s about getting Jalen Green to continue building on his confidence heading into the break.
Prediction
Both teams may be a little checked out as they start thinking about their plans for the break. The Thunder, even without Shai, are a massive threat, and it’s the second night of a back-to-back, and the Suns could be shorthanded at the guard position.
Prove me wrong, please!
Suns 110, Thunder 121
