After dropping two straight games, the OKC Thunder now find themselves embarking on a fresh new win streak following Wednesday night's blowout over the Phoenix Suns.
No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (shin), Luguentz Dort (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles), or Cason Wallace (shoulder)? No problem, as this patch-job Oklahoma City squad took care of business on night one of their three-game road trip to end the regular season, besting the failed super-team by a final score of 125-112.
With this, not only does it mark Phoenix's eighth-straight loss to the Thunder, but it has now officially eliminated them from postseason contention.
As for OKC, they now claim win number 66 out of a hopeful total of 68 and officially sealed home-court advantage throughout their upcoming playoff run. Achieving such feats took a total team effort on the night, though the Thunder did see several players play vital roles along the way.
Stud: Jalen Williams
Serving as the de facto point forward without his co-star in the fold, Jalen Williams was the primary offensive weapon for the Thunder on the night and managed to shine exuberantly bright in such a role.
Though his bucket-getting skills were certainly a major boon for the ball club, as he finished with a game-high 33 points, easily as impressive were his efforts in the distribution department.
Finishing out his 36 minutes played, the All-Star wound up dishing out 5 dimes with multiple hockey assists to go along with it, while his teammates left several others on the table due to missed opportunities.
All season, a major criticism has been how Oklahoma City's offensive production plummets when J-Dub is leading the charge without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court. While the guard's contributions were certainly missed, Williams showed that he does, in fact, have the capacity to hold his own as alpha when needed.
Such a showing was highly encouraging, especially with the playoff right around the corner.
Stud: Alex Caruso
As has proven to be the case all throughout his debut season in the Sooner State, Alex Caruso had his paws all over Wednesday night's contest.
In one of his more efficient offensive performances in a Thunder uniform, the veteran went on to drop a season-high 19 points on 75.0 percent shooting from the field.
However, though his scoring output provided a much-needed spark to their tertiary offense, it was his defensive dominance that really stood out.
Keeping up his reputation as a pest in the passing lanes, Caruso finished the night with 5 steals, with 3, in particular, directly leading to a momentum-shifting run right out of the gates in the third period.
One of the premier 3&D role players in the league today, his performance against the Suns was a tremendous reminder of this.
Stud: Kenrich Williams
Kenny Hustle had himself a field day against Phoenix, as he was reminiscent of the Energizer Bunny with how active he was on the hardwood.
Having an impact in virtually every aspect of the game, Kenrich Williams went on to post an all-around effective and impactful stat line of 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block while shooting 62.5 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from distance.
Especially without Isaiah Hartenstein in the mix, the veteran's efforts were desperately needed for the Thunder's depleted frontcourt to stay afloat.
Dud: Chet Holmgren
It's not everyday that one sees a player pour in 22 points and 10 boards be deemed a dud performer, but here we are.
Now, to be fair, Chet Holmgren did show flashes of finally finding his post-hip injury rhythm, particularly when found turning things up in the scoring department and out in transition during their third-quarter swing.
However, still we find the big man shooting incredibly inefficiently from the field (went 5-for-12 on the night) and being trepidatious when down in the interior on the offensive side of the ball.
Relying on whistle calls and free throws (attempted 13 on the night) is not a recipe for long-term offensive success, and, in order to win a championship, the Thunder are going to need Holmgren to find a way to serve as that self sufficient scoring threat we all know he can be.
Dud: Isaiah Joe
In light of all the day-of injury announcements, Isaiah Joe was thrust into a starting role for the 14 time this season.
This experiment did not go well.
From failing to find any type of consistency on offense (5 points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-6 shooting from deep) to being regularly cooked on the defensive end by his early-on primary assignment in Bradley Beal (25 points) and then his later-on assignment Collin Gillespie (17 points), it was evident Joe struggled mightily on both ends of the ball Wednesday night.
On the plus side, the guard did dish out a ridiculously smooth ball-fake, drive-and-kick dime to Alex Caruso mid-way through the first quarter but, overall, this was a game to forget for the fifth-year pro.