Devin Booker gets brutally honest about his loss to the Thunder

On the eve of Friday NBA Cup game, Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker was looking forward to meeting the champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The challenge of facing the defending champions with stakes higher than most regular-season games is a great test for the Suns, who pulled to within one point (115-114) in a 123-119 series before the Thunder outscored Phoenix 8-5 in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

After the loss, Booker talked about the importance of giving the Thunder one of their more competitive games to date against a 19-1 team. Booker is looking forward to the NBA Cup rematch in the quarter-finalsback at Paicom Center, he said, according to AZ Central’s Duane Rankin.

“We battled. We battled until the end. We knew it was going to be a bad game. That’s just what it was. Some things to learn from,” Booker said. “We’ll get another chance tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get a few players back by then. But it’ll be another dogfight. They do it. It’ll be every time we play them. It’ll be five times this season we play them. So we’ll get a good dose of that.”

Booker finished with 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers and 9-for-11 from the free throw line, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. Colin Gillespie added 24 points, including 6 of 11 3-pointers, four assists and one steal, and Dillon Brooks had 19 points and two steals.

The Suns will look to bounce back from their loss when they host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

Devin Booker gets real in the Suns’ NBA playoff game

Suns All-Star Devin Booker used the defending champion Thunder as a measuring stick for how much his team has grown during the first month of the regular season. When The Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Rocketsmany assumed 2025-26 would be the start of another rebuilding season.

However, the Suns’ 12-8 record, sixth best in the Western Conference, says otherwise, as Booker and the Suns will get another shot at handing the Thunder an NBA Cup rematch.

“It’s going to be a big test for us. They’re doing it. They’re playing some of the best basketball the NBA has ever seen,” Booker said ahead of Friday’s game. “I’m excited to go up against it. Another Cup game. We’re looking forward to it.”

On Wednesday, December 10, the Thunder will host the Suns in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.