Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped game-high 35 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-18) past the Phoenix Suns (35-26) in a hard-fought contest, securing the Western Conference lead despite a late comeback attempt by the Suns.
Despite missing star guard Devin Booker, the Suns fought valiantly, with Jusuf Nurkic setting a franchise rebound record with an astounding 31 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive onslaught.
The Thunder, now leading the Western Conference weathered the Suns’ 23-2 comeback, relying on balanced scoring from their starters, including Jalen Williams (22 points), Chet Holmgren (14 points, 9 rebounds), Luguentz Dort (13 points), and Josh Giddey (10 points).
Nurkic’s historic rebounding performance along with 14 points, Bradley Beal’s 31 points, and 20 points from Kevin Durant kept the Suns within striking distance, but ultimately, it was Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance that proved to be the difference-maker in the game.
