PHOENIX — The game was effectively decided in the first 12 minutes. Phoenix dropped 37 points in the opening quarter, held Oklahoma City to 19, and rode that separation all the way to a 135-103 win Monday night at Paycom Center.
On a night defined by absences on both sides, the Suns were the team that still brought a functional offensive identity. They shot 36-of-60 from the field and 20-of-41 from three, pairing elite efficiency with a decisive 54-36 rebounding advantage. Oklahoma City, playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right oblique), Chet Holmgren (low back) and Jalen Williams (right hamstring) among others, couldn’t keep up with the volume of clean looks Phoenix generated.
Game flow: Phoenix’s first-quarter punch set the tone
Phoenix won every quarter: 37-19, 33-33, 34-25, 31-26. The Thunder stabilized after the opening blitz, but the damage was already done — and the Suns kept reapplying pressure with another 34-point third quarter to push the margin back out of reach.
The decisive factors
1) Shot-making gap — especially from deep
Phoenix’s perimeter output was the headline: 20 made threes on 41 attempts. Oklahoma City also leaned heavily into the three-point line (46 attempts) and made 18, but the Suns’ extra makes and overall field-goal efficiency (36-of-60) created a scoring gap OKC couldn’t bridge.
2) Rebounding tilted the possession battle
The Suns’ 54-36 rebounding edge consistently ended Thunder possessions and created extra opportunities on the other end. Even with Oklahoma City taking care of the ball (10 turnovers), Phoenix’s control of the glass helped keep the game in Phoenix’s preferred rhythm after the early surge.
3) OKC’s injury list finally showed up on the scoreboard
The Thunder entered with a 64-18 record and a top-tier CPI profile (100.00, No. 2) compared to Phoenix (53.50, No. 26). But the available personnel didn’t match the season résumé. Oklahoma City was without Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and more — a level of attrition that strips away the team’s usual rim protection, on-ball creation and lineup flexibility.
Numbers that told the story
Three-point shooting: Suns 20-of-41; Thunder 18-of-46.
Overall shooting: Suns 36-of-60; Thunder 23-of-49.
Rebounds: Suns 54; Thunder 36.
Assists: Thunder 32; Suns 28.
Turnovers: Thunder 10; Suns 13.
Context: why this result cut against the pregame indicators
On paper, this matchup leaned Oklahoma City: a 64-18 record, stronger home split (14-4), and a massive CPI differential (46.5). But the game played like a different version of the Thunder — one missing the core pieces that typically power their offensive initiation and defensive backbone. Phoenix, despite its own injury concerns (including Devin Booker and Grayson Allen listed out), executed cleanly and punished every breakdown with quick threes and decisive finishing possessions on the glass.
Up next
Oklahoma City and Phoenix both played on one day of rest in a back-to-back spot (three games in seven days). The Thunder will look for healthier reinforcements; the Suns will try to carry forward the shot quality and rebounding dominance that turned this game into a runaway before it ever became competitive.