Who: Phoenix Suns (1-1) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0)
When: 5:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Phoenix got in the win column Saturday night against a depleted Warriors team, behind a vintage Devin Booker 43-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist game. Most of the reaction has been in the “concerned” category, and rightly so. The Suns have started games slowly, shown a lack of cohesiveness, failed to box out rebounders,
at times losing focus, and have not consistently provided the level of effort needed for this roster to succeed.
In September, Bright Side of the Sun’s staff chimed in on the biggest questions facing the Suns in their first 10 games. I said, “My main question is in the intangibles category. Last year, the Suns were gritty more often than not. They dove for loose balls, scrapped on defense, and crashed the offensive glass. With new parts added and several high-effort players signing new contracts, will the effort dip?”
This remains the overriding thing to monitor, transcending individual player performances. Will the players self-correct and reach the required level? Jordan Ott was rated in the GM survey as having good offensive and defensive schemes. Can he show the coaching “goods” in the other skills like motivation, culture sustainment, and accountability?
Perhaps a game against a championship-caliber Thunder team will help Phoenix raise the bar on its play, even if it doesn’t result in a win. After a win on Sunday, OKC enters the game 3-0. They also swept the Suns in last year’s playoffs. This game is not about revenge for that series; it’s about closing a large gap in “how” the two teams play and getting this season on the right path.
Late-breaking news as I prepared this article: Uber-talented star Jalen Williams was carted off the home floor during the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s victory Sunday night over the Clippers. With the culture in OKC, expect the rest of their talented team to respond. Devastating news for a player who has only been stopped by injury in a promising career thus far. The Thunder suffered several other rotation player injuries in that contest as well.
Tale of the Tape
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Oso Ighodaro — Doubtful (Right Oblique Strain)
- Mark Williams — Out (Left Shoulder Surgery)
Thunder
- Jalen Williams — Out (Lower-leg/ankle injury)
- Cason Wallace — Out (Left shoulder soreness)
- Chet Holmgren — Out (Right Patellar Tendinitis)
What to Watch For
This is a tough matchup for the Suns. Outcomes are what count in the standings, but “process” is what will ultimately count for this team’s season. Look for signs of improvement. Is awareness of defense improving? Do loose balls find their way into the hands of Phoenix players?
After two games, the purple & orange are 26th in the league in defensive rebounding. This has to improve the limit second chance points should the Thunder hit a cold streak in shooting. That is quite literally a tall task with OKC, who include three 7-foot-plus players in the rotation: Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and rookie Aday Mara.
Watch for ways that make us feel better about the way we’re playing. It’s a long season, but bad habits can become the norm if not corrected.
Keys to a Suns Win
Upsets in the NBA are often tied to two factors: three-point shooting (volume and accuracy) and the absence of key players on the favored team, due to injury or rest. As covered above, the unfortunate three injuries OKC incurred Sunday night, check one of those boxes.
To get good looks from long range, better ball movement would go a long way. As of Sunday, Phoenix ranks last in the NBA in passes made per game (230, compared to a league median of 294), per NBA.com.
Luke Kennard showed that elite sharpshooter talent in his first appearance Saturday. The ball needs to find its way to him, and last year’s team three-point recorder holder Collin Gillespie frequently. While we’re at it, it would be a big lift if Booker provided one of his occasional six 3-pointer games. His shot was “on” versus the Warriors, but almost exclusively inside the arc. Other potential contributors to a hot night from downtown could be Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, Dillon Brooks, or Jordan Goodwin — all of whom have had streaky, good long-distance games in the past.
The flip side of this: limiting threes for the Thunder. Jared McCain is a dangerous combination of high volume and accuracy, so the Suns need to be aware of him at all times. It feels like Alex Curoso often gets hot versus Phoenix, and checking this shows a career 40% mark. The bottom line is that the higher levels of effort and awareness mentioned in “what to watch for” have to show up as quick, alert defensive rotations. Make OKC, playing the second game of a back-to-back and with a suddenly thinned rotation, work hard for those open shots and hope the weary legs lead to a low three-point percentage.
Then PLEASE box out and go after those rebounds to limit second chances.
Prediction
The Suns take steps in the right direction, but not quite enough to get the W against this powerhouse team at home.
