Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Defensive Win Over the Phoenix Suns
It was quite a defensive showing from the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night.
Holding any NBA team below 100 points is no easy feat, but especially when that team has one of the greatest scorers of all time in Kevin Durant. While the Suns were without co-star Devin Booker, they still had their other co-star in Bradley Beal to provide some scoring help for Durant.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who scored 35 and 31 points respectively. Both players were incredibly efficient on the night, scoring against the Phoenix defense at will.
Here are three takeaways from the 111-99 Oklahoma City victory:
Chet Holmgren defending Bradley Beal
Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City's Defense: Legit?
The win over the Suns largely came down to the Thunder's defensive play.
Oklahoma City held Phoenix to a 38.6% shooting night, and 31% from 3-point range. It also grabbed nine steals as a whole, leading to 14 fast break points.
While not one of the NBA's top defenses as of yet, the Thunder has all of the tools to become that. Luguentz Dort is one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league, being able to cause an off night for nearly any player he matches up against. Chet Holmgren is quickly becoming one of the best defenders at the center position, using his long frame to block an average of 2.3 shots per game.
Even outside of that, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Cason Wallace all have good intangibles on the defensive end that cause havoc on the perimeter.
Even with Oklahoma City's young age, it could develop into a top defense by the end of the 2023-24 season.
Struggling Bench Production
Last night, the Thunder hardly received any offensive help from its bench rotation. Between six players that received minutes, the group scored just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
The bench rotation has caused some discourse as a of late, after Lindy Waters III was given 19 minutes of playing time against the Sacramento Kings, and players such as Vasilije Micic, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann have received little to no minutes this season.
If Oklahoma City wants to be a true playoff contender in the Western Conference, it has to have an increased bench production to support its starting lineup.
It may have to be from trades down the road, but giving players like Micic and Mann more minutes could unleashed an untapped potential in the rotation. Either way, some different looks will have to be made in the upcoming weeks.
Chet Holmgren is Comfortable
It may only be 10 games in to the rookie's career, but Holmgren looks to be well-adjusted to the NBA.
Against the Suns, Holmgren put up stats of 18 points, six rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
Holmgren's impact on both ends of the floor have been so crucial to the Thunder's 6-4 start, being a go-to scorer and knockdown 3-point shooter while having a great defensive presence in the paint and becoming one of the NBA's most skilled shot blockers already.
He largely dominated Jusuf Nurkic in the paint, holding the veteran center to three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Holmgren was outrebounded eight to six, which is a number you'd like to see go up for him, but it was still a strong performance for the rookie.
Durant is a player that Holmgren has practiced with over the years and has received praise from, so playing as well as he did against him was probably important for Holmgren.
The win over Phoenix was an important bounce back victory from the loss in Sacramento, taking advantage of the absence of Booker and holding Durant and Beal to subpar scoring nights.
Oklahoma City's next game will see the battle of the NBA's top rookies, as Holmgren matches up with Victor Wembanyama on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. CT in Paycom Center.
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