00:00It was the final game before the All-Star break, and for the Phoenix Suns, Wednesday night in
00:05Oklahoma City, did not go as planned, the Thunder handed Phoenix a 136-109 loss, a scoreline that
00:12reflected a rough evening from start to finish, Suns head coach Jordan Ott put it plainly.
00:17From Jump Street we just didn't have it, Phoenix was already without Grayson Allen sidelined with
00:22a right knee sprain, and Isaiah Livers, out due to a left shoulder sprain, on top of that,
00:27Devin Booker and Jalen Green both sat out the second night of a back-to-back.
00:31Booker, as he often does, had been pushing hard in his return from a severe ankle sprain.
00:36Green, meanwhile, has played in just five games with minute restrictions over the past three-plus
00:41weeks. Following a two-and-a-half-month absence after re-aggravating his right hamstring,
00:46Oklahoma City was also shorthanded, Shea Gilgis-Alexander and A.J. Mitchell were both out
00:52with abdominal strains, but, while those two are key ball handlers for the Thunder, the team's depth
00:58and defensive identity remain intact even without them. The game opened with both teams trading 12
01:04points in just over three minutes. It was clear early on, that, it would come down to which side
01:09locked in defensively first. Unsurprisingly, it was the Thunder, who still had a game to play Thursday
01:15before their break. Over the final 20 minutes and 47 seconds of the first half, Phoenix scored 40
01:21points, but gave up 63, trailing by 23 at the break. Any hope of a second-half comeback quickly
01:27faded. Oklahoma City pushed its lead to as many as 37 before Phoenix's rookies trimmed the margin in
01:34garbage time. Defensively, the Suns lacked consistent shape and intensity. That's a problem against the
01:40best team in the league, especially one still rolling out Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren,
01:45surrounded by reliable role players. Williams finished with 28 points, four rebounds, and five
01:51assists in just 20 minutes. He made his first 11 shots before missing his final attempt. Isaiah Joe
01:57added 21 points off the bench, hitting six three-pointers in 18 minutes. Dylan Brooks picked up
02:02his 16th technical foul of the season. If not rescinded, it will result in a one-game suspension,
02:08likely to be served a week from Thursday, the team's first game back from the break,
02:13in San Antonio. From this point forward, every two technical fouls will result in an additional
02:17suspension, and those do carry over into the postseason. So far, Brooks has not shown the
02:22kind of restraint you'd expect from someone on the verge of hurting his team with a suspension.
02:27He remains just as vocal with officials as he was earlier in the season. Whether his conversations
02:33warrant the technicals or not is almost beside the point now, given the outcomes, he simply
02:38has to stop. Or, he'll face multiple suspensions. When asked if he could still be the same player
02:44without talking to the refs, Brooks said, he probably could. He added that during one of Wednesday's
02:50discussions, an official told him, he was playing the victim. Brooks led the Suns in scoring with 23
02:55points on 9 of 19 shooting, adding four assists and three turnovers. Colin Gillespie played 23 minutes
03:01and scored six points. He's the one player not currently on the injury report, who could really
03:06benefit from the upcoming week off. Gillespie has been banged up for much of the season,
03:10playing through bumps and bruises. The Suns now have a full week before their next game,
03:15a road matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. Devin Booker will represent Phoenix during All-Star
03:19weekend, competing in the three-point contest on Saturday and playing in the All-Star game on Sunday.
03:24Owner Matt Ishbia is also set to participate, taking the floor in Friday's Celebrity Game.
03:28So, Suns fans, after a tough loss and a much-needed break, what's the one thing you're hoping to see
03:33from this team when they return to the court in San Antonio?
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