The Phoenix Suns just can’t get it together in the fourth quarter
The Phoenix Suns fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 111-99 fashion on Sunday night, dropping their second consecutive game.
Both teams were coming off disappointing losses and were looking to get back on track in a matchup that had ample star power and players with great shotmaking ability.
The game didn’t go how the Suns had hoped, however, and the team now sits at 4-6 after ten contests.
The first quarter started off very slow for the Suns after coach Frank Vogel decided once again to switch up the starting five, re-inserting Josh Okogie into the starting group.
A combination of sloppy ball control, foul trouble, and poor defensive rotations lead to OKC taking an early 14-7 lead. Jusuf Nurkic was also forced to be subbed out approximately three minutes in after picking up foul number two.
Kevin Durant fortunately remained a steadying force even with the offense stalling in the early part of the game, totaling 7 points, 4 rebounds, and one assist.
The impact of Durant was apparent throughout the entire first, as Yuta Watanabe hit a big corner three off of a Jordan Goodwin kick-out due to immense focus on the Suns superstar. The three cut the Thunder lead to two with 1:30 left in the quarter.
Goodwin continued his high-energy play, converting a tough layup off of a dribble drive to tie the game at 29, marking the last basket either would make before the end of the first.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the catalyst on the Thunder’s side in the quarter, totaling 10 points.
The Suns started out the second frame with a newfound energy that was spearheaded by Goodwin to close quarter one. A Keita Bates-Diop slam forced Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to burn a timeout just 1:36 into the quarter.