Thunder 105, Suns 108: The Day After Report
Recapping the Thunder's loss to the Suns on January 4, 2026.
Nuggets & Notes
- The Thunder led this game 80% of the time and still walked out of Phoenix with an L, bringing a halt to OKC's four-game win streak.
- OKC led by as many as 18 in the first half, and were up 6 with four minutes left, but while credit to Phoenix for always having an answer, the Thunder had multiple opportunities to slam the door and could not do it.
- Oklahoma City's defense held Phoenix in check–in fact, Phoenix had two 4+ minute FG droughts in the first half–but OKC's failure to itself score reliably allowed the Suns to stay within striking distance.
- I feel no differently about OKC being a better team than Phoenix despite the result. This was an rough night offensively, particularly from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA ain't gonna have off nights like this very often.
- (It's wild that an off night for the MVP is 25 points and 6 assists on 8-of-22 shooting. But it is an off night because SGA's standard is so high and so consistent.)
- Jalen Williams was in great form, scoring 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, plus 7 assists. J-Dub had 11 in the fourth quarter alone, including an absolutely clutch step back jumper to tie the game at 105 with just over 8 seconds left.
- Chet: also very good. Chet's defense stayed hot, and he was a force inside. Especially as of late, he's been a terrorizing force inside. Holmgren swatted 3 shots and probably deterred and redirected another 10. Oh, and Chet had a clutch shot himself. After Dillon Brooks hit a near-dagger 3 with 36 seconds left, Chet responded to bring OKC to within 2 with a tough mid-range jumper.
- Isaiah Hartenstein was missed. The Suns outrebounded OKC 49-29, including 12 offensive rebounds. OKC had 2 offensive rebounds.
- Stats that probably mattered: fast break points (Suns 15, OKC 2); points off turnovers (Suns 21, OKC 18). The Thunder got beat at its own game.
- Jordan Goodwin cooked the Thunder. Goodwin scored a career high 26 points and left me wondering if PJ Washington got traded to Phoenix and donned a Jordan Goodwin costume.
One Key Takeaway
Winning 74 games is probably off the table now, and honestly? I don’t really care. That chase for the wins record was a reach to begin with, and if you look at the outcome of the season for the last team to set the wins record, I think they'd give the record back to win a title.
At this point in the season, wins and losses only mean something if they affect playoff seeding and whether games in the playoffs run through Oklahoma City. That’s the real goal. Nobody’s hanging a banner for dominance in the first half of the season.
Wash this one down, move on, and let's get a win over the Hornets.
