OKC Thunder conclude their road trip in Phoenix
By Yams
The OKC Thunder head to Phoenix to face the Suns. Having won their last two games, the Thunder look to continue their turnaround with a win against the Suns.
The Thunder have had two well-earned days off after their most recent back-to-back in which they faced the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers.
The Thunder dominated the Lakers and handed them a humiliating 133-96 loss at the Staples Center. They shot 60.2% from the field that game which, just like the 133 points they scored, was a season-high. They also racked up a total of 36 assists that game, also a season-high. But the game will be remembered as Terrance Ferguson’s breakout game.
Having averaged 1.3 points per game for the season before the game, Terrance Ferguson was picked by Billy Donovan to start in place of the injured Andre Roberson – to the surprise of many.
After the first half ended, their surprise was justified. T-Ferg was scoreless and didn’t do much of anything, really.
But no one was ready for what was about to unfold.
The Thunder were already up by 19 points at halftime but Terrance Ferguson made it his life’s duty to embarrass the Lakers on national television.
He made 6 threes (A Thunder rookie record) and made two monstrous dunks, ending the game with 24 points. On January the 3rd, 2018, the 2K Ferguson era began.
The Thunder then played the Los Angeles Clippers the very next day. It was a shootout. The Thunder did just enough to beat the Clippers, though, and left LA with a 127-117 victory.
Related: Thunder’s offensive LA explosion
It’s not so sunny in Phoenix
The Suns are currently 15-26, good for 11th in the Western Conference. While there are seven teams that have a worse record than them, it’s not indicative of how bad they truly are. Their offensive rating of 102.2 is fourth-worst in the NBA and their defensive rating of 108.9 happens to be 29th.
But there are two players in particular that stand out – Devin Booker and TJ Warren.
Devin Booker has been having a spectacular season. Booker’s per game averages this season are 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 44.4% shooting and 38.8 three point percent. As for TJ Warren, he’s averaging 19.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on 48.8 percent shooting.
Outside of those two, however, there isn’t much depth that isn’t either developing or manageable from a matchup perspective.
Just like any other team, though, the Thunder have to take the Suns seriously. Here’s what they have to do in order to end their road trip with a win.