Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Isaiah Joe added 21 as the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to a commanding 136-109 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma City maintained a lead of at least 20 points throughout the entire second half, stretching the margin to as many as 37 points in the third quarter, News.Az reports, citing AP.
Williams was nearly flawless from the field, converting 11 of 12 shots while also contributing five assists and four rebounds. Joe was lethal from beyond the arc, hitting 6 of his 8 three-point attempts.
Kenrich Williams chipped in 15 points, while Chet Holmgren added 13. The defending champion Thunder, who have now won four of their last six games, shot an efficient 58.4% from the field and received an impressive 74 points from their bench unit.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 23 points. Royce O’Neale and Jordan Goodwin each scored 12.
The Thunder surged to a 75-52 halftime lead, fueled by sharp perimeter shooting — going 11 of 18 (61.1%) from three-point range in the first half. Joe paced Oklahoma City with 15 points off the bench before intermission, while Brooks scored 14 to lead Phoenix.
Despite the heavy defeat, the Suns enter the All-Star break with a 32-23 record — exceeding expectations after the franchise traded 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets during the offseason.
Oklahoma City now holds the NBA’s best record at 42-13.
Both teams were short-handed in Wednesday’s matchup.
Phoenix was without guards Devin Booker (ankle), Jalen Green (hamstring), and Grayson Allen (knee). Booker and Green had recently returned from injuries and played in Tuesday’s victory over the Mavericks, but head coach Jordan Ott opted to rest them on the second night of back-to-back games.
The Thunder were also missing key contributors, as guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell sat out with abdominal strains. Gilgeous-Alexander, who has now missed four consecutive games, ranks second in the league in scoring at 31.8 points per game.
Up Next
Thunder: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Suns: Visit the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Feb. 19.