Phoenix Suns (45-37) beat Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18) 135-103 on the road on Sunday, April 12. The final margin was 32 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Suns struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-19 and a 18-point lead after one. The teams matched each other with 33 points apiece in the second quarter; the Suns still led by 18 at halftime.
The Suns won the third 34-25 to create some separation, taking a 27-point lead into the fourth. The Suns took the fourth 31-26; the Suns finished the job for a 135-103 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Suns grabbed 32.5% of their own misses, while the Thunder recovered 18%. The Suns got more from their shots, finishing at 65.3% effective field-goal shooting compared with 52.6% for the Thunder. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Suns produced 133.9 points per 100 possessions to 102.2 for the Thunder.
The Suns' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 44-20.
Who stood out
Branden Carlson was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 26 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 5 blk on 10-20 shooting. His Game Score of 24.2 led everyone. His team was -18 with him on the floor.
Ryan Dunn led the Suns with 20 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast on 8-11 shooting, good for a 22 Game Score.
Branden Carlson (26 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Nikola Topic (18 pts, 4 reb, 14 ast), and Ryan Dunn (20 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Suns entered with about a 12% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 6-1.
The Suns are now 45-37, and the Thunder are 64-18. The Suns last five before this game: L-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.