Jalen Williams delivered 33 points to lead the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder past the Phoenix Suns 125-112 on Wednesday night at Footprint Center.
With the win, the Thunder improved to 66-14 and officially ended Phoenix’s postseason hopes, capping a disappointing year for a team that entered the season with title expectations.
Oklahoma City played without All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, defensive anchor Luguentz Dort, and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Despite being short-handed, the Thunder outscored the Suns 43-26 in the third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and take a 105-93 lead heading into the fourth.
Williams shot 13-of-23 from the field and added five assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes.
Chet Holmgren chipped in 22 points and 10 rebounds, going 12-of-13 from the free-throw line to help Oklahoma City secure its 21st win in the last 23 games.
Phoenix, now 35-45, has lost eight consecutive games and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Suns were without Kevin Durant, who sat out with a sprained ankle suffered last week, and couldn’t overcome their second-half collapse.
Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Devin Booker added 20 points and a season-high 14 assists.
Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 13 in the first half and was down 67-62 at the break before dominating the third quarter.
The Thunder closed the third on a 12-2 run, powered by transition scoring and bench production, including key threes from Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams.
Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and Alex Caruso added 19 points, five rebounds and five steals in one of his most efficient games of the season.
Phoenix shot 48.3% from the field and made 15-of-42 from three but was outscored in second-chance points and struggled defensively once Oklahoma City picked up its pace.
Collin Gillespie added 17 points off the bench for the Suns, hitting 3-of-6 from long range, but the team committed 13 turnovers that led to 22 Thunder points.
Oklahoma City, which leads the Western Conference by 14 games over Houston, continues to manage its roster in preparation for the postseason.
The Thunder shot 52.3% from the field, made 12 three-pointers, and went 23-of-27 from the free-throw line in another balanced offensive outing.
Holmgren’s interior presence and Williams’ shot-making carried Oklahoma City through key stretches, helping offset the absence of their leading scorer in Gilgeous-Alexander.
Phoenix started the season 8-1 but has gone just 27-44 since, tumbling out of contention despite a 23-17 home record and multiple All-Stars on the roster.
With their playoff path set, Oklahoma City will now await the winner of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament to open the first round next week.
