Devin Booker had been kept silent all night.
For 39 minutes, the veteran superstar’s breathing space was restricted by pesky perimeter defenders. His mouth was covered by face-guarding guards. And his driving lanes were congested.
Chalk all of that up to OKC’s suffocating defense, which enforced its will in a 123-119 home win over Phoenix on Nov. 28. Booker was held to 21 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field, and he committed five turnovers.
It was only after the NBA Cup group play game that Booker was able to speak up about the challenging matchup. And he was quick to shed some light on the Thunder’s physicality.
“The secret is out,” Booker said. “They do speed you up. They play aggressive. They’ll grab and they’ll hold, but it’s never when you’re in a shooting position. It’s always on the handle or on your drives when they get away with it.”
Phoenix (14-10) will travel to face OKC (23-1) again at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The winner will book its ticket to Las Vegas.
All eyes will be on the Thunder’s league-leading defense. The group that has prevented opposing stars from shining all season.
But does OKC deploy shady tactics to do so? That’s not for head coach Mark Daigneault to worry about.
“I didn’t hear that,” Daigneault said Tuesday of Booker’s comments. “We just focus on what’s between the lines. Everybody says stuff after the game in terms of interviews, whether it’s a compliment or anything else. We just focus on what we can control between the lines.”
OKC was called for 22 fouls in its group play game against Phoenix. That led to 24 free-throw attempts for the Suns, and Booker attempted 11 of them.
Still, he felt he’d earned more.
“Actually, tonight they probably called 40-50% of (OKC’s fouls), which was good,” Booker said after the game with a chuckle.
The remark also got a few laughs from reporters. But in all seriousness, Booker gave props to OKC’s stout defense after that.
“They have multiple defenders out there,” Booker said. “They have their switching partners and guys who get it after it every time. They’re a tough matchup.”
Phoenix has also earned OKC’s respect.
The Thunder is on a 15-game winning streak, and it has won those games by an average of 18.9 points. But its closest contest during that streak was its four-point win over the Suns, a group that’s punching above its weight after moving on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this past summer.
And it’s no secret that Phoenix will put up a fight once again Wednesday.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for their competitiveness,” Daigneault said of the Suns. “They’re an every-possession team on both ends of the floor. They play with a major edge. They’re organized on offense and they’re disciplined on defense, so they don’t beat themselves. They put themselves in a position to win the possession.
“When you do that consistently across possessions, you put yourself in a position to win games. That’s what they’re doing right now. They really are a feisty, detailed and hungry team.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Suns
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (Prime Video)