Thunder obliterate Suns, dominating every stat. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren lead the charge toward redemption in the NBA Cup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder put together an absolutely dominant performance in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. Entering this game with a 23-1 record, the Thunder was set to take on a Phoenix Suns team that had played Oklahoma City mostly competitive the last time these two matched up not too long ago, when the final score was 138-89.
This time around, the Thunder led by more than 40 and it was a game that wasn’t particularly close at any point. At the end of the first quarter the score was already 38-23. From there, Oklahoma City kept its foot on the gas, winning every quarter by double digits and steadily stretching the margin until it was completely out of reach.
It wasn’t just the eye test, either. The Thunder out-rebounded Phoenix, tallied more assists, posted a better field goal percentage, better free throw percentage, better 3-point percentage, more blocks, more steals, fewer turnovers, more points off turnovers — basically every category you’d like to see a team dominate, Oklahoma City did. It was one of those nights where the numbers told the exact same story as what everyone watching could see.
Once again it was another MVP-caliber outing from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In just 26 minutes of action he finished with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting along with eight assists. Chet Holmgren had a great game too, pouring in 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Jalen Williams is still finding his full rhythm but in just 22 minutes he added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. The rest of the squad stepped up as well. Outside of those three, five other players scored at least nine points, with three of those five finishing in double figures. Even when the primary players checked out in the third quarter, the run continued and the level of play barely dipped.
From here, the Thunder will take on the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, who are tipping off shortly after Oklahoma City’s blowout win. The next round of the NBA Cup will be in Las Vegas and is a chance to punch a ticket to the NBA Cup Championship — the stage where the Thunder fell short to the Milwaukee Bucks last year, but will have a real chance at redemption this time around.