The Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a rough start on Wednesday night as they hosted the surging Houston Rockets, and despite managing to adjust with no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder were unable to finish the game on top, suffering a 132-126 defeat in overtime. The competition gets no easier on Friday night as the Thunder play host to the Phoenix Suns, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to miss yet again.
The Suns have been up and down all season, and a lot of that is due to an injured roster. It hasn’t been until recently that Phoenix’s key trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal have all been able to play together, but they have won 4 of their last 5 and are doing everything they can to break into the top 6 in the Western Conference standings so they can avoid the play-in game.
Realistically, OKC has an uphill battle against the Suns if SGA indeed is unable to go tonight, but that doesn’t mean the Thunder can’t strike like lightning. Phoenix plays with a lack of consistency, and even if they are healthier, OKC has the home crowd behind them, and some nights that’s just the edge that a team needs to push them over the top. Jalen Williams is an emerging superstar, Josh Giddey has played as good as ever the last few games, and Chet Holmgren should be looking for a bounce back game after barely getting to play on Wednesday due to fouling out. While the Suns are favored, it wouldn’t shock me one bit to see OKC come out on top in this one.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: KSBI-52
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Phoenix Suns Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Cason Wallace
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Suns
- PG: Devin Booker
- SG: Bradley Beal
- SF: Grayson Allen
- PF: Kevin Durant
- C: Jusuf Nurkic
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (G League — on assignment).
- Adam Flagler is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is DOUBTFUL (right quad contusion).
- Keyontae Johnson is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Lindy Waters III is QUESTIONABLE (G League — on assignment).
Suns
- Damion Lee is OUT (right meniscus surgery).
- Jusuf Nurkic is QUESTIONABLE (sprained right ankle).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 33-19 against the Suns (18-6 at home, 15-13 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the season series against the Suns 9 times, tied once, and lost 5 times.
- The Thunder lost the season series with the Suns 1-3 a year ago (1-1 at home, 0-2 on the road).
- The Thunder are 2-0 against the Suns so far this season (0-0 at home, 2-0 on the road).