Aleksej Pokusevski Marvel's With Triple Double in Thunder Blowout

Seven players notched double figures for the Thunder, as it was a true team effort against the Suns.

Sunday night, Oklahoma City faced the red hot No. 1 seeded Phoenix Suns. While the Suns were without Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, they were still heavy favorites behind Chris Paul and company.

The Thunder used a massive bench effort and a hot night from behind the 3-point line to shock the Suns and come away victorious 117-96.

Oklahoma City drilled 17 triples, as five different players hit multiple 3-pointers.

One reason OKC found success Monday was because of their ability to share the wealth. Without a true point guard able to suit up, the Thunder had to make the extra pass. OKC finished the night with 33 assists compared to Phoenix’s 22.

The biggest advantage of the night for the Thunder, shockingly enough, was the rebounding. OKC took advantage of Ayton’s absence, dominating Phoenix on the glass 54-33. All nine players that took the floor for the Thunder had four or more rebounds.

Here are the top performers from Sunday night that led OKC to victory:

Olivier Sarr

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Sarr’s career night is ultimately what powered the Thunder to a win. Oklahoma City was not expecting to receive 24 points and six rebounds from the backup center in just 21 minutes.

The Kentucky product, who really only shoots one or two threes a game, drilled 5-of-6 triples and was 9-of-12 from the floor overall.

Sarr’s glimpses of promise toward the end of the season make him an interesting candidate to stick around in 2022-23. If Sarr can have a strong summer, assuming he’ll be on the Summer League roster, he can position himself to be one of the last spots.

Aleksej Pokusevski

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Pokusevski had one of the best performances of his career Sunday night. The Serbian notched his first career triple-double, pouring in 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

He was an efficient 7-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Poku was tasked with plenty of ball-handling duties and responded well.

In the best play of the night, and maybe of the entire Thunder season, Poku baited the ex-teammate Paul into his own rip-move at the top of the key. Poku’s growth as a player has been very evident over the past few weeks.

Aaron Wiggins

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Wiggins had another strong outing and stuffed the stat sheet in the process. The Thunder rookie finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Wiggins knows his role on the Thunder and plays it so well, which is why he always seems to shoot a high percentage.

Sunday, he shot 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. On the season, Wiggins is now up to 8.3 points per contest in 24 minutes of play.

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