The Oklahoma City Thunder wraps up their NBA Cup West Group A schedule on Friday night when they host the Phoenix Suns in a crucial game where the winner will move on to the knockout stage, and the loser can only hope for a wild card spot. Perhaps the biggest news of the evening, though, is the season debut for Jalen Williams, who has missed up to this point due to an offseason wrist surgery.
Last season, Jalen Williams was an NBA All-Star, he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and All-NBA Third Team, and he helped the Thunder to their first-ever NBA Finals Championship. Despite his absence, OKC has cruised to one of the best starts to a regular season in NBA history, but his long-awaited return will only add fuel to the fire that the Thunder is on a crash course to repeat as NBA Champions.
As for Phoenix, their season isn’t going quite as poorly as many predicted. Before the season started, the Suns were picked to win around 30 games, but at 12-7 so far, they’re currently on pace to win closer to 50 games. While they probably won’t end up being that successful, they’re still finding ways to win.
Devin Booker leads the Suns with 26.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game, and he’s getting a lot of help from Dillon Brooks, who’s averaging 21.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Phoenix will be without Grayson Allen and Jalen Green, two of their top players, but you can still expect a good effort from the Suns, especially in a game where the stakes are a little higher, like this one.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 8:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: FanDuel Sports Networks
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: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Suns
- PG: Collin Gillespie
- SG: Bradley Beal
- SF: Dillon Brooks
- PF: Royce O’Neale
- C: Mark Williams
Injury Report
Thunder
- Branden Carlson (nasal fracture) is AVAILABLE.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (right ankle soreness) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Aaron Wiggins (strained left adductor) is OUT.
Suns
- Grayson Allen (right quadricep contusion) is OUT.
- Ryan Dunn (sprained right wrist) is OUT.
- Jalen Green (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
- Isaiah Livers (right hip soreness) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 36-19 against the Suns (20-6 at home, 16-13 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the season series against the Suns 10 times, tied once, and lost 5 times.
- The Thunder went 3-0 against the Suns last season (2-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder has won 6 straight against the Suns.