Suns Fall to Thunder After (Another) Fourth Quarter Collapse

The Phoenix Suns just can't get it together in the fourth quarter.

The Phoenix Suns fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 111-99 fashion on Sunday night, dropping their second consecutive game. 

Both teams were coming off disappointing losses and were looking to get back on track in a matchup that had ample star power and players with great shotmaking ability.

The game didn't go how the Suns had hoped, however, and the team now sits at 4-6 after ten contests.

First Quarter 

The first quarter started off very slow for the Suns after coach Frank Vogel decided once again to switch up the starting five, re-inserting Josh Okogie into the starting group. 

A combination of sloppy ball control, foul trouble, and poor defensive rotations lead to OKC taking an early 14-7 lead. Jusuf Nurkic was also forced to be subbed out approximately three minutes in after picking up foul number two. 

Kevin Durant fortunately remained a steadying force even with the offense stalling in the early part of the game, totaling 7 points, 4 rebounds, and one assist. 

The impact of Durant was apparent throughout the entire first, as Yuta Watanabe hit a big corner three off of a Jordan Goodwin kick-out due to immense focus on the Suns superstar. The three cut the Thunder lead to two with 1:30 left in the quarter. 

Goodwin continued his high-energy play, converting a tough layup off of a dribble drive to tie the game at 29, marking the last basket either would make before the end of the first. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the catalyst on the Thunder's side in the quarter, totaling 10 points. 

Second Quarter

The Suns started out the second frame with a newfound energy that was spearheaded by Goodwin to close quarter one. A Keita Bates-Diop slam forced Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to burn a timeout just 1:36 into the quarter. 

The Suns lead 33-31 with 10:24 remaining in the half.

The game largely became a tug-of-war affair after that point in time, with Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen leading the way as standouts for Phoenix, while Jalen Williams went on a tangent for Oklahoma City. 

A tough Durant finish gave Phoenix a 51-50 lead with about three minutes to go in the half, with Gilgeous-Alexander answering with a finesse finish of his own to retake the lead.

Phoenix ended the half on a high note, as the offense was generating good looks, including a Durant dump-off for an easy Eubanks dunk, and were forcing OKC into largely difficult shot attempts. 

The half ended with an Okogie trip to the line off of a physical drive, where he knocked down both attempts. Some exquisite defense from Durant on Jalen Williams closed the book on the first half, and Phoenix lead 59-54 going into the break.

Suns player of the half: Bradley Beal- 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-8 FG

Thunder player of the half: Jalen Williams- 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 6-9 FG

Third Quarter 

The second half of this back-and-forth contest began with elite shot-making from both sides. 

Bradley Beal exited the game with 7:25 left in the third frame in favor of Goodwin, who in turn brought the infectious energy that has made him both a fan favorite and a key impact player off the bench.

The strong shot making continued, with Goodwin draining a three-ball, followed by a heavily contested shot make from deep by OKC's Williams, and was capped by a Durant-induced four point play on the other end. 

Goodwin continued his red-hot night, draining a corner three to force an OKC timeout as the Suns took a 76-72 lead.

The back-and-forth play continued for the most part, with Yuta Watanabe and SGA trading three-point buckets to keep the score within five late in the third frame. 

Phoenix lead 83-78 with 1:25 in the quarter, a point where Beal replaced Durant in the lineup. 

SGA continued to showcase ridiculous scoring ability, hitting an off-balance mid range jumper to cut the lead to three. That was once again answered by a soft post hook from Drew Eubanks. Beal got a good look from the corner off of a fantastic hustle rebound from Goodwin that just missed the mark. 

Eubanks cleaned up the rebound and drew a foul, hitting one of the two attempts at the line.

Phoenix lead 86-80 after 36 minutes of action.

Fourth Quarter 

The fourth quarter started with a clean and predictable knock-down three from the corner by Durant. While that jumpstarted the quarter, the offense stagnated and ceded an 8-0 run to the Thunder, cutting the lead down to one three minutes in. 

A Eubanks hustle rebound off of a tough Durant miss was followed by a missed dunk and a rare assist-to-score violation.

The Thunder re-took the lead behind a sweet nine-foot pull up jumper from the standout local product Williams followed by a toughly-contested turnaround jumper from SGA.

Frank Vogel took a necessary timeout to try to stop the bleeding as OKC took a 92-91 lead with 7:19 remaining in the game.

The Suns re-took the lead off of two Grayson Allen free throws, and the seemingly non-stop back-and-forth continued.

The Thunder got a grip on the game in the ensuing several minutes, with Williams converting a three-point play to take a 102-95 lead with just over three to play. 

SGA continued the unbelievable two-man show with Williams, knocking down a pull-up three to increase the lead to 10, and the Suns offense continued to stagnate. 

Oklahoma City ended up coming out on top behind a dominant fourth quarter in the 111-99 victory. 

Phoenix only scored 13 points in the final frame, and the performances to close out games are on the brink of becoming a trend. 

The Suns next contest comes against possibly the hottest team in the NBA in the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. The T-Wolves boast the NBA's best defense and it could also mark Devin Booker's return from a two-week absence. 

Buckle up, Suns fans! The ride is potentially about to get turbulent.