Thunder challenged by “ten times the intensity” of their opponents

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander he bowed his head and paused for a few seconds to think. At the press conferencethe reporter just asked him if he had the feeling that the Thunder’s opponents pay even more attention to details, as the Suns were able to do last night.

« I mean… yeah, probably. Of the six times we’ve lost this year, that’s been the case. When you lose a match, that’s often the case, especially with a team like ours. Very often we lose not because of lack of talent, but because of these small details “, finally fired the leader of the Thunder.

There were a lot of details in this game, starting with a rebounding battle that was largely lost by the Thunder (29-49). Or the fact that OKC almost failed to express themselves on the counterattack: only 2 points.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggling (25 points on 8/22), the Thunder rarely scored as few points (105 points, their third-lowest offensive output of the year). But to hear “SGA”, it is not surprising that it comes from the opponent of his formation.

« Given who we are and what we’ve achieved, teams will come here with increased intensity. They will want to test themselves against the reigning champions and really see where they stand. I know this because when I played against the defending champions in the past, that’s how I approached it », developed by Canadian.

A good opportunity for the Thunder as well

That’s how last year, playing against the Celtics, the winners of the trophy in 2024, ” it was an opportunity to see where we were at that moment. This is how it works », notes the team leader, who won his two duels against Boston last season.

The Suns have lost twice to the Thunder so far this season. Of which a colossal 49-point loss in the NBA Cup. But as Mark Daigneault reminds us, Devin Booker, author of the winning shot that evening, I didn’t play that night.

The Thunder coach believes that this match in Phoenix was “ good opportunity » for his team to measure up, against an opponent who has won five of the last six meetings.

« He had all the prerequisites for a high game of the regular season, and games like this are very valuable for us. This gives us very precise feedback on our actual level at different times of the season. And I found that to be the case tonight. Obviously we didn’t pass the test well enough to win the match. But if we focus on improvements, it’s a good game for us », Sudi coach.

Prior to this setback, the Thunder had been on a four-game winning streak and now have a chance to continue their streak with opponents down the stretch (Hornets, Jazz, Grizzlies) before they face the Spurs again on January 13th.