Recap: Thunder Shut Down Booker, Suns

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was capped all night by OKC's tough defense.

Nov 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) fights for a rebound against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Without injured stars in Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns' best hope of defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night sat on the shoulders of Devin Booker.

That didn't quite happen.

The Thunder blitzed and swarmed Booker from start to finish, daring essentially any other player to beat them, and that strategy paid off in a 99-83 loss for Phoenix.

Booker scored 12 points on 2-10 shooting from the field, including four turnovers and a -29 plus/minus. Josh Okogie led the Suns with 15 points.

The Suns are now 9-4 on the season and 1-1 in NBA Cup play. This was the first time all season where Phoenix was held to under 100 points.

Scoring was at a premium for Phoenix, who also was down Grayson Allen due to injury.

Recap

It was an awfully slow start for the Suns, who found themselves down 29-14 after the first 12 minutes of play. Phoenix made just three of 21 shots to open action while also only making one of 11 free throw attempts. Josh Okogie was the only Suns player with more than four points at the end of the first.

With a minute left in the first half, the Suns completed an 11-2 run before ultimately hitting the locker room down 48-36. Booker went 0-6 from the field in the first half while the Thunder had nine players on the score sheet.

The third quarter was no kinder to Phoenix - despite getting their deficit down to 11 - trailing 83-60 entering the fourth. The Thunder had just five turnovers in the first three quarters while outscoring the Suns 44-18 in the paint.

Typically in a blowout loss, teams would empty their bench and wave the white flag early in the fourth - though with point differentials being a tie-breaker in NBA Cup play, Mike Budenholzer opted to keep his starters in to minimize the damage until the five minute mark in the fourth after the Suns couldn't shake their 20-point deficit.

Oklahoma City comfortably held that lead until the final buzzer sounded.

What's Next

The Suns finish up their four-game road trip on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.