Despite an exciting ending, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns were too much for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Thunder lose 123-120. Booker had an appealing stat line of 32 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals. He did this on 11-of-22 shooting while getting to the free-throw line 10 times, making nine of his 10 attempts.
MVP candidate Chris Paul also had a good performance against the Thunder, scoring 18 points and 11 assists on 7-of-13 shooting (2-5 on three-pointers).
Although the Suns held a lead as much as 18 points, the Thunder would not go away. A hectic final minute saw the Thunder within four with plenty of time on the clock and an opportunity to cut the lead to just one point. An Isaiah Roby missed three and a missed out-of-bounds call would seal the game for Phoenix.
“These guys were awesome tonight. Everybody came ready to play. We kept coming. To be honest with you, I really like this team. That was big time. There was a lot of growth. We should be happy,” said Coach Mark Daigneault.
The Thunder’s effort to come back late in the game while holding a double-digit deficit was refreshing. Most teams would have shut down and accepted a loss, but not the Thunder.
Ty Jerome continues to make a case for himself to remain on the roster long-term as he scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting (3-of-4 on three-pointers). Jerome’s ability to shoot the three-ball while also creating offense for other players is a valuable asset for OKC to have off the bench.
Jerome also led the bench to 65 bench points scored. A solid young bench will be immensely valuable for the Thunder as they further their rebuild and hope to make a playoff push in coming years
.Gabriel Deck continues to improve as he scored 11 points in only his third contest with the Thunder. Deck shot 4-of-6 from the field while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 on free throws.
