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For most teams, sitting out your best player and several other top contributors is a sign of waving the white flag for a game in favor of rest. For OKC, the second leg of a home-and-road back-to-back signaled an ending of a team's postseason hopes and clinching the NBA's best record.
It's been that type of historic season for them. The Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed a 125-112 win over the Phoenix Suns as both teams had polar opposite motivations. The former had nothing to play for while the latter had everything.
With their play-in tournament hopes on the line, the Suns needed to win out and get outside help if they wanted to sneak into the postseason. That should be enough to throw their best punches. Instead, a strong start was erased with a sleepy second half that pulled the plug on their aspirations.
To start, the Suns played with the urgency needed for a team's postseason ticket on the line. They scored points in a flurry. Devin Booker had a hot start after being held in check in his first two games against the Thunder. Phoenix exited the first quarter with a 39-29 lead.
That continued in the second quarter as the Suns led by as many as 15 points. Regular season games usually fall on a spectrum between games played out of necessity and treated as pseudo-playoffs. After such an emotionally taxing win over the Los Angeles Lakers the day before, this one felt like it fell on the opposite side for the Thunder.
But then Jalen Williams woke up the Thunder from daydreaming. He got in a rhythm and scored on several difficult mid-range looks. He led a 19-7 run to make it a single-digit deficit. The Suns entered halftime with just a 67-62 lead.
It was the exact splash of cold water the Thunder needed. They came out of the halftime break with their batteries fully charged. They scored nine points out of the break to retake the lead. It was Chet Holmgren's turn to dissect the Suns' non-existent defense. The seven-footer attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line plenty of times.
Meanwhile, the Suns' offense was completely shut off. Booker was silenced and Alex Caruso destroyed their offensive flow with a steal every other possession that led to a Thunder fastbreak bucket. Copy and paste that sequence a handful of times and that led to a 43-point third quarter for OKC to exit with a 105-93 lead.
The Thunder kept a double-digit difference the rest of the way and led by as many as 20 points. With their season on the line, the Suns went out with a whimper as their offense resembled a middle school JV squad. It was entirely incoherent and a lack of a true playmaker fittingly was the knockout punch to a frustrating year.
The Thunder shot 52% from the field and went 12-of-30 (40%) from 3. They shot 23-of-27 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 45 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Williams led the way with an efficient 33 points. Holmgren stepped up with a 22-point double-double. Caruso had 19 points and five steals. Aaron Wiggins finished with 17 points. Kenrich Williams had 13 points and Jaylin Williams had 12 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Suns shot 48% from the field and went 15-of-42 (35.7%) from 3. They shot 13-of-19 on free throws. They had 31 assists on 42 baskets. Six Suns players scored double-digit points.
Booker had 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting and 14 assists. Bradley Beal scored 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Ryan Dunn had 13 points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, Collin Gillespie had 17 points, Royce O'Neale had 11 points and Tyus Jones had 10 points.
This game showed the differences between the two franchises. The Suns have felt artificial. They got a new owner and tried to buy their way into a championship. While they had an impressive roster on paper with household names, they never gelled together. That led to a catastrophic season with massive ramifications on the way.
Meanwhile, the Thunder organically built up their roster. Their top two scorers in this game were homegrown talents. They've built a culture similar to the 2010 San Antonio Spurs where a plug-and-play system brought out the best of anybody despite several absences. They continue as a winning machine and should enter the playoffs as a title favorite.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Jalen Williams: A-plus
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It took the tail end of the season, but Williams finally had a chance for his homecoming. Considering who sat out, the 23-year-old likely was given the option to sit out this half of their final back-to-back of the season. But the Thunder knew what the answer was going to be. No way he'd rest for his lone trip back to where he grew up.
Williams showed out. He finished with 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws. He also had three steals.
It took him a little to get going. But once he did, the Suns had no hope. A last-second Dunk of the Year candidate just missed but that was enough for Williams to get the juices flowing. He went on a tear in the middle quarters with 24 points.
Williams did it at every level. He enjoyed the added responsibilities to his plate with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out. He navigated the court to his favorite mid-range spots and had plenty of pretty finishes on drives to the basket. The outside shot also fell and he got to the free-throw line at a decent clip.
Sharing the court with Booker, Williams was the best player on either side. The rhythm scorer has had one of his best stretches of the season. He'll enter the playoffs with all the momentum in his favor. This was the perfect tune-up game as the Suns didn't have anybody to limit him from the perimeter to the paint.
Chet Holmgren: A-plus
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Returning to the center position, Holmgren had one of his best games of the season. Any worries from the last few games were quickly erased. This is stating the obvious — and the Thunder know this too — but it shouldn't be a shocker he looked much more comfortable as the lone big with Isaiah Hartenstein out.
Holmgren finished with 22 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 but went 12-of-13 on free throws.
Usually roaming around the perimeter, Gilgeous-Alexander's absence allowed Holmgren to soak up more scoring opportunities. The seven-footer slithered through Phoenix's paint defense and forced its defenders to foul him. He got to the charity strip at a season-best rate.
It took until the second half for Holmgren to get going, but he dominated enough in that stretch to show what Holmgren is capable of as a driver. It's been an up-and-down season since he returned from a hip fracture but these glimpses should excite fans about what he could do when given the chance to play his natural center position.
Alex Caruso: A-plus
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Determined to run the offense through Grayson Allen, Caruso kept foiling their third-quarter plans. In a little over two minutes, he generated four steals as Phoenix tried to either give him the ball or he tried to make a play and was intercepted.
It was another multi-possession stretch for Caruso that showed how he could single-handedly change an outcome. This time, the box-score stats backed up his value as a cherry on top. He finished with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and five steals. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and 5-of-6 on free throws.
With several players out, Caruso drove to the basket for several of his buckets. He might be known as an outside shooter, but his finishes around the rim can garner plenty of oohs and aahs from the crowd with how fancy they can get. He's not Kyrie Irving but he doesn't look awkward when a defender closes out on him.
This final back-to-back had Caruso as the top-billing actor. Disruptive third-quarter stretches swung both games in the Thunder's favor. Like a relief pitcher on a September scoreless inning streak, the 31-year-old has played his best basketball with the playoffs around the corner. That's why they brought him over from the offseason.
Aaron Wiggins: B
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With everybody out, this was Wiggins' prime time to show out. After all, he had some of his best scoring games the other two times the Thunder had similar circumstances where Gilgeous-Alexander and others sat out. While not as dominating, he looked his best since he returned from injury.
Wiggins finished with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3. He also had a steal.
Playing against zero real centers, Wiggins slashed to the basket for several of his looks. That's been his bread and butter since he entered the league. Now, he's added the ability to drive to the basket and doesn't solely rely on off-ball cuts.
Knock on wood, but the Thunder should enter the playoffs with near impeccable health. Wiggins has grown as a scorer and his outside shot could steal a game for OKC in a series. It'll be interesting to see how much he's used in that environment.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder end Suns' postseason hopes with 125-112 win
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