Three Takeaways From Thunder's Strong Defensive Effort Against Suns

The Oklahoma City Thunder held the Phoenix Suns under 90 points in a win.

Nov 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2), Phoenix Suns center Oso Ighodaro (4) and guard TyTy Washington Jr. (14) chase after a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Defense was the story for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

The Thunder rolled past the Phoenix Suns in a 99-83 contest, holding them to poor efficiency from all areas of the game. Without star Kevin Durant, it was a struggle for the Suns offense to get anything going.

It was by no means a good offensive night for Oklahoma City, but its players managed to do enough to squeak by with a win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists on 11-of-25 shooting from the field.

Here are three takeaways from the 16-point victory:

Suns Can't Find a Shot

Of all the impressive defensive performances for the Thunder this season, last night took the cake.

Oklahoma City held Phoenix to 29% shooting from the field and 24.3% from behind the arc, quite literally causing an offensive nightmare. Durant's absence was largely felt, while Devin Booker struggled with 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. Most of his work had to be done at the free-throw line, going 8-of-8.

Even though the Thunder has been forced to a small-ball rotation, that isn't preventing its defense from continuing to put up impressive numbers. Jalen Williams has settled into the center position rather quickly, recording two steals and two blocks.

Even a recently returned Kenrich Williams had a strong defensive outing, adding a steal and three blocks off the bench.

A lot of times, Oklahoma City's offense hasn't been nearly as explosive as it should. But mostly, its defense is just good enough to get it those wins.

3-Pointers Don't Fall

As bad at the 3-point percentage for the the Suns was, the Thunder didn't exactly perform to a better standard.

Oklahoma City finished the game shooting 25% from behind the arc, a 10-of-40 clip. Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort each shot 2-of-7, Isaiah Joe shot 2-of-6 and Ousmane Dieng shot 1-of-6.

Nobody down the entire lineup was able to find an effective day from the 3-pointer, resulting in the worst performance from there throughout the season. But somehow, Oklahoma City's offensive production was able to bring its point differential to 12.92 — the most in NBA history for a team through 13 games.

If it wasn't for the absurd defensive effort, the Thunder probably wouldn't have scored enough to win this game. The offense struggling at times has been a concern in a good portion of the season, so it has to get back to efficiency in 3-point range, especially with known 3-point shooters like Joe and Jalen Williams, who shot 0-of-4.

Behind the Foul Disparity

Looking at the box score, the free-throw line was a curious case. Oklahoma City finished with a near-perfect 17-of-18 clip, but Phoenix had far more — 30-of-40.

That's a massive disparity between both teams, even if the efficiency was as good as it was for the Thunder. It leads the NBA in drives per game, yet on many occasions, it gets to the free-throw line less than its opponents.

With how physical and aggressive Oklahoma City is on defense, it's not a surprise that the attempts from its opponents are high. Lots of plays result in clean turnovers or blocks without fouls, but players are bound to commit fouls when they exert strong defense every possession.

It'd be tough to make an argument on if refs haven't been calling the Thunder the right way — especially without much evidence to draw on — but with how much of its offense is driving to the basket, it's a bit surprising its free throw attempts per game number is so low.

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