After fighting their way through the Play-in Tournament, the Phoenix Suns lost in 4 games to the one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the Thunder having the top record in the league with 64 wins, and Phoenix just barely sneaking into the final seed in the West, no one expected the series to be close. While the Thunder have faced plenty of animosity for their playstyle this season, to their credit, they handled business. Three of their four wins were by double digits despite being without their second-best scorer for half the series, Jalen Williams. Despite a 35-point win in game 1, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to get going outside of the free-throw line. But outside of game 1, the MVP favorite’s playoff jitters were nowhere to be found. In the final 3 games, SGA averaged 37/4/8 (PPG/RPG/APG), and shot 63% from the field, 42% from three, and 91% from the line. He was the catalyst for the offense and a big part of the series win
Outside of a solid game 4, Phoenix could not muster much offensively. The big three of Booker, Brooks, and Green could not get going all at once. Jalen Green didn’t shoot over 45% from the field once in the series, Devin Booker didn’t hit his regular-season points per game mark in a single game, and Brooks couldn’t do it alone.
Moving Forward
Oklahoma City’s path is as smooth as it goes. They will get the reward of some time off to rest due to their sweep, and will prepare for a series against either the Lakers or the Rockets, both of whom are dealing with injuries to their star players. They should be in the running to go back-to-back as champions and should compete for the Finals for years to come. The Suns have a more clouded future ahead of them. This offseason should have two main focuses: bringing size in and deciding on Jalen Green. Phoenix has a plethora of guards, but doesn’t have as much depth at center and power forward. Jalen Green also needs to be dealt with. He will make over $36 million in 2027, and is not doing enough to warrant that amount of money. He has shown potential, but less than 35 games of 52% true shooting isn’t enough production if the Suns want to be competitive.
