Analysis: Suns' NBA Cup Exit Following Thunder Dominance.

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00:00Let me break down what happened with the Phoenix Suns. The pressure has been building for them,

00:05and a game like Wednesday's 138-89 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder shows when that pressure

00:10finally bursts. Here's the context. The Suns have actually done a decent job sticking to their game

00:16plan this season, even though they've only had Jalen Green, who's out with a right hamstring

00:21strain, for about five total quarters. Now they're also without their star, Devin Booker,

00:26right groin strain, and they're still finding ways to win some games. However, they've now lost five

00:32of their last eight games. This rough patch was somewhat expected, given their schedule was

00:36always going to be tough for a team that frankly, is trying to overcome a talent gap, even when fully

00:42healthy. What wasn't expected, was their run in the NBA Cup tournament, which took them all the way to

00:48the quarterfinals. That run set up this rematch against OKC, and let me tell you about this OKC

00:54team. They are now 24-1. They are so dominant right now that if they want to, they have a real

01:00shot at chasing the historic 74-win season record. Honestly, considering the players the Suns are

01:06missing, it's surprising they haven't had more blowout losses like this one, but certainly not

01:14to this level. This 49-point loss is now the largest margin of defeat in the entire history of

01:20the Phoenix Suns franchise, according to StatHead. That's a real credit to how powerful the Thunder

01:25are right now. This game was nothing like their previous meeting in the NBA Cup group play. In

01:30that earlier game, the Suns played OKC very close. They were only down by four points at halftime on

01:35the road, managed to prevent OKC from building a lead bigger than 15 points in the second half,

01:40and even got within one possession with just over five minutes left in the game. That's when

01:45Shea Gilgis Alexander had to take over and be the hero, something he's rarely had to do in

01:50clutch time this season. Because his team is usually so far ahead, Wednesday was completely

01:55different. Oklahoma City scored 14 points in less than three minutes to start the game.

02:00Just 60 seconds later, they already had a 10-point lead. It became obvious immediately how much more

02:06the Thunder's team defense could spread out and dominate when they didn't have to focus so much

02:10attention specifically on containing Devin Booker for the Suns without Booker's playmaking, which

02:17directly or indirectly creates good scoring chances. They were forced to look for shots much earlier in

02:23the shot clock. Playing fast is already part of Phoenix's style. But without Booker, they've cranked it

02:28up even more. This includes taking some very quick three-point shots that would probably get a player

02:34benched by an old-school coach. The idea is to get a shot off before the Thunder, who are arguably the

02:40best defense in the league, can get fully set. It also generates more three-point attempts without

02:45relying on Booker to create them. But here's the problem. When those quick shots don't go in,

02:51it basically rolls out the red carpet for Oklahoma City to run in transition. Playing off of missed

02:57shots is the most efficient situation any offense can ask for. The Thunder took full advantage. They

03:03created turnovers and easy baskets to build a 20-point lead before the first quarter was even over.

03:09They were incredibly efficient, making 12 of their first 16-shot attempts. This is where the game did

03:15echo the previous meeting a little bit. The question was, how would Phoenix's stubborn fight

03:20clash with OKC's tendency to completely blow teams out? Well, Phoenix never got the deficit back to

03:26single digits. But they did manage to keep it from getting totally out of control until near the end of

03:31the first half. The halftime score was 74-48, thanks largely to Oklahoma City ending the half by making

03:38four straight three-pointers. For the half, they were an incredible 13 of 19 from beyond the arc.

03:44Any hope was gone shortly after the third quarter started. The Thunder's lead ballooned to 36 points

03:50within just a few minutes. None of Phoenix's main ball handlers or scorers could find any space to create

03:57their own shot, or to move the ball effectively, like they did in Monday's win over Minnesota.

04:02Players like Grayson Allen, who shot 3-for-9, Dylan Brooks, 4-for-16, and Colin Gillespie,

04:091-for-5, were facing a level of defensive focus they aren't used to, now that they're higher on the

04:15opponent's scouting report. This was on top of dealing with OKC's deep roster of excellent perimeter

04:21defenders that Sun's trio combined to shoot 8-for-30, 26, and 7%. Meanwhile, OKC's big three

04:29of Shea Gilgius Alexander, 11-of-15, Jalen Williams, 5-of-8, and Chet Holmgren, 9-of-13,

04:36were a combined 25-for-36, 69.4%. The difference is staggering. The frustration boiled over for Grayson

04:43Allen in the late third quarter. He was ejected, after responding to a physical screen from Chet Holmgren

04:49with a collision and a shove. However, the full context wasn't shown on the broadcast. On the

04:55previous possession, Holmgren had pushed Allen in the back during a rebound battle. A play that

05:01wasn't called a foul. You could argue Holmgren's earlier unseen shove to the back was more deserving

05:07of a flagrant two-foul than Allen's retaliation, since it was a blindside hit. Overall, Phoenix was

05:14growing increasingly frustrated with the physical play OKC was allowed to use, a complaint they've had

05:19against the Thunder since last season. While you could argue the referees should call more of

05:23these fouls, some of this physicality is also a benefit of the doubt that OKC has earned by

05:29establishing a reputation for tough, consistent defense night after night. You have to feel for

05:35Allen specifically. He's worked hard to shed his old reputation as a dirty player. And now,

05:40this moment of retaliation might bring that talk back. He's also facing an increased fine for the

05:45flagrant two ejection, which the Suns will likely appeal. With this loss, the Phoenix Suns' record

05:50falls to 14-11. Because they advance in the NBA Cup, they will now need to add an extra game to their

05:57schedule to reach the full 82-game season. The knockout stage format makes scheduling this simple.

06:04They will face the loser of the other quarter-final game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio

06:09Spurs. Since the Lakers lost to the Spurs 132-119, it's now set. The Suns will host the Lakers in

06:16Phoenix this Sunday at 6 p.m. There is a small silver lining for Phoenix. This period has been

06:22a very beneficial break in their schedule, especially considering when Booker got injured.

06:27After their win over the Lakers on December 1st, the Suns will have played only four games in a span of

06:3216 days. The pace of games will pick up again starting December 18th. As for injuries, the

06:38four-week mark for Jalen Green's re-evaluation from his four- to six-week timeline was this past

06:44Tuesday, December 12th. The six-week mark will be on December 23rd. Devin Booker's initial one-week

06:50timeline has passed. Given that the Suns only have one game in the next seven days, it would not be

06:55surprising at all if they decided to be extra cautious and sit Booker for that game as well to

07:00ensure he's fully healed. Given their current challenges, do you see the Suns turning their

07:04season around, or is this a sign of deeper issues?

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