Thunder vs Suns recap: No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, no problem for OKC in rout of Phoenix
Hours before the Thunder’s 128-103 win against the Suns on Friday night, Kevin Durant towered in the crevices of a closet-like visitor’s locker room. He stood cornered into far less square footage than he'd been used to, aged by far more years of NBA basketball than he had as royalty in that building a decade earlier.
Deep inside the Paycom Center, Durant briefly reminisced about the old days. What made his time in Oklahoma City so successful so early, when things turned. Years removed from it, he knows where things went right.
“I think the young teams that keep it at basketball, and not worry about the lights and what that time means to everybody else and just keep it at hoops, those are the ones that succeed,” Suns forward Kevin Durant said pregame.
Durant’s response was prompted by the current Thunder’s youth movement. His words proved genius. They were brought to life the same night.
The Thunder’s stampede of pace and shot-making was centered around its youth. Phoenix coach Frank Vogel made a point to underscore everything OKC possessed that Phoenix didn’t. It’s young, fast, athletic, and it defends. The future Durant generally prophesied flashed before Vogel’s eyes.
In the second quarter alone, the Thunder shot 73.7% from the field and a perfect 4 of 4 from deep. That made 36 points and 10 assists in the quarter, which made OKC 8 for 11 from 3 by the half.
In the third quarter, Lu Dort trotted down the court, looking down at the hand that released a blood-drawing 3, seemingly searching for a heat signature. For the sensation he felt then — that the Thunder felt then.
The deficit, as large as 29 points at one point, built quickly. No Suns run could adequately chip toward it. Despite open 3s by way of scheme and ball movement, the Suns’ shots didn’t fall at the same rate, shooting a measly 31.7% from deep.
Three-pointers clumped together like cold oatmeal. Six Thunder players finished with at least 14 points. OKC ran enough dribble handoffs to flatter Erik Spoelstra. The possessions blended together, with endless configurations all finding similar success. With Jalen Williams as the head of the snake, with Giddey as the best initiator, with lineups that featured no ball handlers.
None featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed a second straight game with a quad contusion. All pushed Phoenix closer to the edge, and Durant closer to the past.
Josh Giddey’s approach
It’s been nearly four months since Josh Giddey was forced to confront the biggest on-court obstacle of his basketball career.
That early night in December, when OKC took to Minnesota and succumbed to its zone, was the catalyst for a slippery slope. Even if no one realized it then.
Giddey has endured low points. With bigs defending him, with perimeter defenses disrespecting him while cross matching to limit Chet Holmgren. Now, weeks into being used differently and three games into a monstrous run, Giddey opened up about his struggles Friday.
“I used to hate it,” Giddey said. “I used to dred coming into a game knowing a big was gonna guard me. … I used to judge my game so much on whether I made 3s. Now I’ve changed my mindset going into games where it’s like, ‘If he’s gonna leave me open, I’m gonna punish them. I’m gonna make them pay and change their defensive scheme.’”
On Friday, he dropped 23 points, seven boards and nine assists. In the past three games, Giddey is averaging 26.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
Still, Giddey isn’t clinging to this stretch. He’s also apparently let go of the player he was during his early-season struggles.
"It's easy to feel good when things are going well, but I think if you get caught up in the highs and the lows, it sends your emotions on a roller coaster,” Giddey said. “I struggled with that early, first 50 or so games. I used to overthink everything. It's hard to play that way, to play freely and confidently when that's what's happening."
Thunder lessons without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Surely there’s something the Thunder can take from its two-game sample without Gilgeous-Alexander, right?
Even without the star of its operation, even while forced into scenarios that might not mirror the ones OKC faces when SGA, there are bound to be elements that carry over.
“Hopefully, identity wise, we look about the same,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I do think him being out has allowed some guys to stretch out a little bit, even just from a minutes standpoint.”
Aaron Wiggins, who scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting Friday, received his first start of the season. The Thunder — and the Suns defense — put Jaylin Williams in a position to be a high-post playmaking hub. To pitch passes and hand them off to his heart’s desire with more than Isaiah Joe. For others to get involved in the same actions.
Ahead of a postseason that’ll challenge the past-faced Thunder’s offensive identity, it strengthened any belief in its halfcourt presence. It dropped 3 after 3, it crease after crease. It dismembered Phoenix’s defense from the start, a healthy vote of confidence for both the non-Shai Thunder and the Thunder squad that hopes to be playing deep into the postseason.
More: How Luguentz Dort fixed his 'shot diet' to add another layer to OKC Thunder's offense
Thunder at Knicks
TIPOFF: 6 p.m. Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder routs Phoenix Suns despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander absence
