{"id":715531,"date":"2026-04-22T02:07:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T02:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/715531\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T02:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T02:07:33","slug":"thunder-to-read-their-menu-in-anticipating-suns-game-2-adjustments-field-level-media-professional-sports-content-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/715531\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder to read their ‘menu’ in anticipating Suns’ Game 2 adjustments – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Limited to just 33 games in the regular season by a series of injuries, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams never really developed much of a rhythm.<\/p>\n

However, after his 22-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance in the Thunder\u2019s 119-84 Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns in their first-round playoff series, Williams looks as if he is finally returning to form after being a key piece in last season\u2019s championship run.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been out for so long, we knew it was going to take some time for him to get back to himself,\u201d Oklahoma City\u2019s Luguentz Dort said. \u201cBut he is now. He\u2019s confident, real aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The series continues Wednesday when the Thunder and Suns meet in Oklahoma City for Game 2.<\/p>\n

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said his approach to making adjustments for the second game, after Oklahoma City built a big lead early and then maintained it in on Sunday in the series opener, was an open-minded one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to look at it more like a menu and less like a prediction,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to try to guess. You don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different directions they could go in. We try to understand what all those directions are \u2014 could be different lineups, it could be different tactics, could just be the same ones and try to execute them better. We try to account for all that, just make sure our team has contingencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the improvements Phoenix coach Jordan Ott said his team must make in Game 2 is to avoid being in isolation against the Thunder\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

While the Suns\u2019 Dillon Brooks said the approach was a good one overall, he also said he wouldn\u2019t avoid such matchups against fellow Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a good defender overall, but I just like the matchup,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cTeam Canada, we\u2019ve been going at it for a while. I won\u2019t forget our one-on-ones that we had in Paris. \u2026 You see a guy like that going hard on the offensive end all game and trying to get a rest on defense, I\u2019ll find a way to make him use his legs, use his hands, use his mind on that defensive end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks had 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting in Game 1, while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points but hit just 5 of 18 from the field.<\/p>\n

Ott said Brooks has been one of the tone-setters for the Suns, not only through the season but in the play-in tournament and now the playoffs as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat edge we talk about is super impactful for our culture and environment since Day 1,\u201d Ott said. \u201cHe\u2019s been in these playoff battles. Knows that it\u2019s a series. You gotta play with that edge. It helped us get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phoenix\u2019s Grayson Allen (hamstring) has missed the last four games, though he was listed as available for the last two. Allen went through some drills after practice on Tuesday and appears close to a return. He was listed as questionable on the injury report.<\/p>\n

Suns center Mark Williams, who missed the past two games with a foot injury, was wearing a soft boot at practice while Jordan Goodwin, who left Game 1 with a calf injury, was wearing a black sleeve on his left leg. Both are also considered questionable.<\/p>\n

\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Limited to just 33 games in the regular season by a series of injuries, Oklahoma City Thunder guard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,6,2065,472,4045,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-715531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-phoenix","11":"tag-phoenix-suns","12":"tag-phoenixsuns","13":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}