PHOENIX – With out injured stars Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns’ finest hope of defeating the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Friday evening rested on the shoulders of Devin Booker.
That did not actually occur.
The Thunder bombarded and swarmed Booker from begin to end, daring nearly every other participant to beat them, and that technique paid off in a 99-83 loss for Phoenix.
Booker scored 12 factors on 2-10 taking pictures from the sphere, together with 4 turnovers and a plus/minus of -29. Josh Okogie led the Suns with 15 factors.
The Suns are actually 9-4 this season and 1-1 within the NBA Cup. It was the primary time all season that Phoenix was held to fewer than 100 factors.
Scoring was every part for Phoenix, which was additionally lacking Grayson Allen attributable to harm.
It was a painfully sluggish begin for the Suns, who discovered themselves trailing 29-14 after the primary 12 minutes of play. Phoenix made simply three of 21 photographs to open the motion whereas making simply one in all 11 free throw makes an attempt. Josh Okogie was the one Suns participant with greater than 4 factors late within the first.
With one minute left within the first half, the Suns accomplished an 11-2 run earlier than lastly going into the locker room 48-36. Booker went 0-6 from the sphere within the first half because the Thunder had 9 gamers on the scoresheet.
The third quarter was no higher for Phoenix – regardless of a deficit decreased to 11 – trailing 83-60 in the beginning of the fourth. The Thunder had simply 5 turnovers within the first three quarters whereas outscoring the Suns 44-18 within the paint.
Sometimes, in a blowout loss, groups would empty their bench and wave the white flag in the beginning of the fourth – though with level variations being a tiebreaker in NBA Cup play, Mike Budenholzer opted to maintain his starters to attenuate the harm till the fifth. minute within the fourth minute after the Suns failed to chop their 20-point deficit.
Oklahoma Metropolis comfortably held that lead till the ultimate buzzer sounded.
The Suns end their four-game street journey Sunday towards the Minnesota Timberwolves.
