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The OKC Thunder dropped its 18th and final game this season in a 135-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea led all scorers with 27 points and nine assists in 39 minutes. Teammate Ryan Dunn recorded a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Phoenix is the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will play Portland in the Play-In Tournament at 9 p.m. CT Tuesday.
OKC’s two-way guys shined in the loss, with Branden Carlson tallying a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Payton Sandfort added a career-high 23 points and five 3-pointers.
OKC, which already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, closed the regular season at 64-18.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
OKC Thunder playoff schedule: NBA Playoffs bracket, game times, TV, streaming
Lu Dort exited the game to a faint round of applause before throwing on his warmup and heading to the bench.
The moment seemed dull to most fans in the arena, but it marked a milestone.
Entering Sunday’s matchup, he needed to play at least 20 minutes in order to meet the 65-game rule for end-of-season awards. Dort checked out of the game at the 8:20 mark in the third quarter with six points in exactly 20 minutes.
He was named to the NBA’s All-Defense First Team last season and will have a shot at earning the honor yet again when the teams are announced in the postseason.
More: How did OKC Thunder earn top playoff seed again? It's more than 'eating their vegetables'
Carlson turned and flexed his muscles in the direction of Sandfort.
Sandfort had just drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game, marking a career-high at the time.
He finished the game with a career-high 23 points in 28 minutes, marking his first game scoring in double figures this season.
Nikola Topic followed up his career night against Denver on Friday with another. He ended Sunday's game with 18 points, a career-high 14 assists and four rebounds following an 11-assist performance.
REQUIRED READING: Jalen Williams ready for NBA Playoffs after injuries thanks to OKC Thunder's 'good energy'
It's offical.
OKC won’t have to face the Denver Nuggets in a potential Western Conference semifinal showdown.
Despite resting all of its starters and key rotation players, the Nuggets defeated the Spurs 128-118 on Sunday night to finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. This also means the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Houston Rockets in the first round in the 4-5 matchup.
The Nuggets are locked into a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder will play the No. 8 seed at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 19, on ABC.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder rests stars in loss to Phoenix Suns ahead of NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea led all scorers with 27 points and nine assists in 39 minutes. Teammate Ryan Dunn recorded a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Phoenix is the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will play Portland in the Play-In Tournament at 9 p.m. CT Tuesday.
OKC’s two-way guys shined in the loss, with Branden Carlson tallying a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Payton Sandfort added a career-high 23 points and five 3-pointers.
OKC, which already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, closed the regular season at 64-18.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
OKC Thunder playoff schedule: NBA Playoffs bracket, game times, TV, streaming
Lu Dort meets 65-game requirement for postseason rewards
Lu Dort exited the game to a faint round of applause before throwing on his warmup and heading to the bench.
The moment seemed dull to most fans in the arena, but it marked a milestone.
Entering Sunday’s matchup, he needed to play at least 20 minutes in order to meet the 65-game rule for end-of-season awards. Dort checked out of the game at the 8:20 mark in the third quarter with six points in exactly 20 minutes.
He was named to the NBA’s All-Defense First Team last season and will have a shot at earning the honor yet again when the teams are announced in the postseason.
More: How did OKC Thunder earn top playoff seed again? It's more than 'eating their vegetables'
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Payton Sandfort scores career-high, Nikola Topic shines again in loss
Carlson turned and flexed his muscles in the direction of Sandfort.
Sandfort had just drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game, marking a career-high at the time.
He finished the game with a career-high 23 points in 28 minutes, marking his first game scoring in double figures this season.
Nikola Topic followed up his career night against Denver on Friday with another. He ended Sunday's game with 18 points, a career-high 14 assists and four rebounds following an 11-assist performance.
REQUIRED READING: Jalen Williams ready for NBA Playoffs after injuries thanks to OKC Thunder's 'good energy'
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Nuggets defeat Spurs to finish as No. 3 seed in Western Conference
It's offical.
OKC won’t have to face the Denver Nuggets in a potential Western Conference semifinal showdown.
Despite resting all of its starters and key rotation players, the Nuggets defeated the Spurs 128-118 on Sunday night to finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. This also means the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Houston Rockets in the first round in the 4-5 matchup.
The Nuggets are locked into a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder will play the No. 8 seed at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 19, on ABC.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder rests stars in loss to Phoenix Suns ahead of NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
