The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the first round after a 131-122 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, finishing the series in a four-game sweep. Jalen Green scored 23 points in the defeat as Oklahoma City advanced behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points and a balanced scoring effort across the rotation. After the game, Green addressed the series outcome and the team’s development under difficult circumstances.
Green summarized the series by saying, “Obviously it could have been better, but overall I feel like we fought our way into getting into the series and throughout the series. We stayed together.” He added, “Some things didn’t go our way. Credit to them. They’re the defending champs, so we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy series.”
He continued, “Obviously there’s some things that we talked about that we need to clean up and things we didn’t execute, but overall the fight was there and that’s all you could ask for.” The Suns remained competitive in stretches but struggled to consistently match Oklahoma City’s execution late in possessions.
Green also pointed to roster disruption throughout the year, saying, “It obviously sucks. I didn’t play majority of the year, so it was kind of like a rush into it trying to figure out how we’re going to make it work and figuring things out. But overall, I think we did pretty solid. There’s always room to be better, but it was solid.”
On his individual performance, he said, “I feel like this year I was still remaining aggressive even though shots weren’t falling. I didn’t shoot it particularly too well throughout the series and could have shot better. But overall, that’s a good defensive team and I feel like I just remained aggressive throughout the series.”
Looking ahead to the offseason, Green stated, “I think the weight room is probably where I’m going to spend a lot of my time. Obviously the gym is always going to be where I’m going to be at, but with the injuries, get my program together and try to come into next year without any injuries.”
He also emphasized the group’s identity and internal belief, saying, “We got a group of dogs that fight every time they step on the floor, from starting five to the bench. Every single person comes in and does something special for us.” He added, “People didn’t think we were going to get into the playoffs. We did that.”
