Phoenix Suns fall to Oklahoma City amid Devin Booker’s 46 points

• Phoenix Suns fall to Oklahoma City amid Devin Booker’s 46 points.
• Phoenix did not have Devin Booker to lead them to victory.
• Suns gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

This time, Phoenix did not have Devin Booker to lead them to victory.

In their 124-120 defeat to the Thunder on Sunday afternoon in front of 17,897 fans at Paycom Center, the Suns gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

Monty Williams, the Suns’ head coach, stated, “This one is on me.” I must recruit players who are able to establish rhythm, particularly on defense. We’re surrendering such a large number of 30-point quarters, continuously. That’s up to me. To increase the offensive and defensive momentum, I must identify the players who can work together defensively rather than the starters.

Booker scored a game-high 46 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40. After trailing by 10 points, the Thunder went on an 18-2 run to pull away and win (38-33) for the first time this season against Phoenix.

Chris Paul, a seasoned point guard for the Phoenix Suns, stated, “It should’ve have come down to (the end), but it did.”
Phoenix led by as many as 15 points before falling to the Thunder (35-36), having lost four of its last five games. On April 2, the two teams will meet once more this season in OKC.

“We’re at the place of the time each game counts,” Booker said. ” You want as many victories as possible. Tonight, we let one slip.
14 mistakes cost the Suns an insane 31 points.

Suns wing Josh Okogie stated, “We turned that ball over and it leads to 3s and And-1s.” That’s more than two points per turnover every time we turned it over. That amounts to two points literally every time we turned it over. Give them a little more than two points if you can. That is the game for me right there.”

Phoenix also lost the battle for free throws; the Thunder made 29 of 36 attempts from the line, while Phoenix made 17 of 24 attempts.

Williams stated, “We’ve been talking about it for a while.” With 21.4 committed fouls per game, the Suns rank 26th in the NBA. When it comes to fouling, we rank among the league’s worst teams. We must rectify it.

Deandre Ayton (hip) and Kevin Durant (ankle) were out for the Suns. In Thursday’s win over the Magic, Ayton broke his right hip, and Durant has been out since twisting his left ankle in a pregame workout before his Suns home debut against the Thunder on March 8.

Ayton and Durant did not travel to Oklahoma City.

Landry Shamet, a Suns guard who returned after missing two months with a foot injury, said, “It sucks.” We briefly experimented with the game. We weren’t as solid as we should have been, especially in the final quarter.”

Williams cited Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-point play with 0.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter after Cameron Payne’s turnover as a turning point in the Thunder’s favor.

Booker was called for his fourth foul on the play that was reexamined to determine whether he fouled out before the quarter’s end. Going into the fourth, OKC was 96-90 down thanks to the basket plus one.

Williams cited Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-point play with 0.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter after Cameron Payne’s turnover as a turning point in the Thunder’s favor.

Booker was called for his fourth foul on the play that was reexamined to determine whether he fouled out before the quarter’s end. Going into the fourth, OKC was 96-90 down thanks to the basket plus one.

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