OKC Thunder: Player grades features late rally in loss to Suns

The Phoenix Suns needed to win – to a certain extent. The OKC Thunder just wanted to be competitive.

By the end of regulation on Sunday, both teams had achieved those goals.

The Suns were locked in a tie with the Utah Jazz for the best record in the NBA. But winning on Sunday gave the Suns sole possession of the top seed in the Western Conference thanks to a 21-point win over the Jazz on Friday.

For the Thunder, they’re just content to coast until their final game of the season.

The Thunder had an opportunity to win in the closing seconds.

After falling down by as many as 16 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Thunder found a way to surge back thanks to Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby and Theo Maledon. Had Luguentz Dort had a better shooting night, the Thunder might have been able to steal a win from the hottest NBA team.

Instead, the Thunder picked up yet another loss in a 30-day period filled with them. Which is okay – that’s what benefits the team in the long term.

Bazley’s 19 points led the Thunder, but he was only one of the four players with 15 or more points in the game. Maledon also had a big game with 18 points, while Ty Jerome and Kenrich Williams each had 15 points in the game.

The team certainly did enough to win the game; they didn’t do it as quickly as needed.

With that being said, let’s dive into player grades for the OKC Thunder’s 123-120 loss to the Suns.