Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin celebrated a career-high 26 points and eight three-pointers in Sunday’s 108-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“After the second one I felt pretty good,” Goodwin said on his hot shooting night. “I knew I was going to get a couple more, so I just stayed confident with it.”
Goodwin credited his teammate Devin Booker’s unselfish play for creating open looks. “Them open shots, having Book so unselfish and confident in me to pass that ball means a lot,” he said. “It was basically practice shots. That’s how he was today.”
The Suns trailed by 18 in the second quarter but rallied behind Goodwin, Booker, and Dillon Brooks in a late fourth-quarter surge. Goodwin described the team’s resilience in close games. “We just done a couple mistakes to lose, and today we kind of took those mistakes out and capitalized on the opportunities,” he said.
Goodwin also reflected on his development from a defensive-minded player to a reliable shooter. “My first few years I wasn’t even taking threes,” he said. “The last three summers, me and my brother and trainer have been getting after it, three times a day, making sure I shoot it the same way every time.”
Playing off star teammates has also boosted Goodwin’s confidence. “It opened the game up for me,” he said. “Once we start hitting shots, now they have to worry about me too. Book’s unselfish. He knows how to play the game.”
Confidence from head coach Jordan Ott has also helped Goodwin excel in critical moments. “Jordan always on me, never too many good things to say but he does that to get me going. That builds trust in me,” Goodwin said.
He also highlighted the Suns’ bench unit, emphasizing defense and transition opportunities. “That’s our job. As the bench unit, we try to play faster, turn them over. Me, Oso, Ryan, Bouyea, Livers—we all defenders. We take pride in that,” he said.
Goodwin was impressed with Booker’s composure in the final moments. “I was crashing, then I stopped midway and just looked at it. He shot it over two people, it went in, and I went right to him. Right to him. Adrenaline rushing, crowd loud, couldn’t hear anything,” he said.
Reflecting on the team’s competitive culture, Goodwin said, “That’s our culture. Every loose ball is winnable. Playing at a high level, we’re going to be kind of hard to stop.”
The Suns snapped Oklahoma City’s four-game winning streak, with Booker adding 24 points and Brooks 22, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25. Phoenix now heads to Houston on Monday, and Oklahoma hosts Charlotte.
