Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP case and 3 other takeaways from Thunder's win vs Suns

The OKC Thunder were seemingly in cruise control during the third quarter of their Sunday night bout against the Suns, pressing their lead up to as much as 24 points before Phoenix started to chip away at their deficit and, in the fourth, even took back the lead.

With this, it led to fears over whether this young Oklahoma City squad would succumb to the adversity and falter against their much more experienced foe.

Fortunately, this team is built different. 

The Thunder picked themselves up, executed well from both ends of the floor, and took back control late in the exhibition, holding off the Suns by a final score of 118-110 in their nationally televised showdown.

As a result, coupled with the Minnesota Timberwolves loss earlier in the night, OKC moved to the number one seed in the Western Conference with a 42-18 record, thrusting them half a game above the long-time top-seeded Wolves. 

It was another masterclass for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is slowly earning ballots for this season’s Most Valuable Player award. The 25-year-old budding superstar posted 35 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, along with three steals and three blocks. 

Gilgeous-Alexander was a dynamo on both ends of the floor, holding his own against a taller Kevin Durant on numerous stretches of the game and winning matchups versus Phoenix’s quicker guards such as Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen. 

"I just play the game level-headed, always try to play the next possession in front of me."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shortly after the Suns’ built a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander was deployed back into the game. In about five minutes, the Thunder engineered a 19-5 run, turning the six-point deficit to an eight-point Thunder lead with about four to go in regulation. 

"Basketball is a game of runs, so it’s ups and downs. You just got to try to turn the tide and you only do that by taking possession by possession. I try to keep the same mentality no matter what’s going on."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander may have bettered his case for this season's MVP award Sunday, but this wasn't the only noteworthy aspect of the night. In turn, there are a few other key takeaways from the Thunder's win over Phoenix. 

Learning to recover after absorbing opponent's best punch

As noted by SGA in his postgame presser, basketball is a game of runs. 

The Suns started the night off going 2-for-12 from the field before the Thunder ended the first quarter with a 28-24 lead. OKC extended that advantage to 20 points in the second quarter through a 25-9 run predicated on four straight steals and a slew of fastbreak layups. 

Phoenix then went on a 29-9 burst to chop the Thunder's lead to four by the end of the third period. The Thunder ultimately built a 19-5 run in the final quarter which proved to be the main catalyst for the win. 

It was a roller coaster game for Mark Daigneault's squad, emblematic of what would come for them in a playoff setting. 

These types of games test the Thunder’s ethos. The win was a sweet cherry on top of what was an excellent counter by Oklahoma City after absorbing a massive Suns burst in the third quarter. 

Earlier in the season, the Thunder also played a game similar to this, albeit in a loss. They were outscored 82-57 after leading by 21 points in the second quarter. It exploited the Thunder’s lack of urgency and questioned the team’s ability to recover from a slump. 

This win against the Suns certainly helped them silence some doubts about how they would face these situations under the bright lights of the postseason. 

Capitalizing on turnovers

As young as they are, expect the Thunder to run and gun for those easy layups off turnovers. 

The Thunder, who lead the league in transition points and are 10th in fastbreak points, forced 22 turnovers against the Suns while only committing six of their own throughout the game. Of those turnovers, 16 of them came off steals as they displayed their active hands once more.

OKC scored 31 points off those turnovers, using them to ignite their scoring runs. This comes as no surprise, as this is how the ball club benefits from their youthful legs against teams. 

The Thunder also recorded 18 fastbreak points in the game versus the Suns’ eight. The disparity in these departments showed the team’s activity from both ends of the court. 

Aaron Wiggins came out big in these areas. 

Wiggins finished with seven points along with a game-high four steals. There was a possession in the fourth quarter where the wing's activity was on full display, deflecting and disrupting the ball three times. The first went out of bounds, the second was called a kicked ball, and the third was a steal for an open layup on the other end. 

Wiggins’ impact is undeniable for the OKC Thunder. 

Offsetting the lack of rebounds

Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns’ starting center, recorded a season-high 31 rebounds, the most by any player this season. Unshockingly, the Thunder was outrebounded 41-50. 

Players like Nurkic, who stands at seven- feet tall and weighs in at around 290 pounds, will always be a tough matchup for the Thunder, who, even with the return of Mike Muscala, lack the length and width to match up. 

Despite this, Oklahoma City continues to scrape out wins against bigger, heftier teams through a combination of defensive pressure, transition offense, and a slew of other factors that capitalize on their quickness and youthful legs. 

"A lot of nights we lose the rebounding battle. And as long as the benefit continues to outweigh the cost, we're going to continue to accept the trade offs. We're not going to be a perfect team."

Mark Daigneault

This formula works for the Thunder as it maintains their versatility and allows them to play the way they want to play on both offense and defense. 

Besides, their unrelenting driving game allowed them to score 54 points in the paint, 10 more than what the Suns wrapped with, and they have two traditional bigs in their lineup, mind you.

As Daigneualt noted, there's "more to the game than just rebounding," and it seems the Thunder have managed to prove this on a nightly basis through 60 games played in 2023-24.