They place tremendous stress on the rim and have playmaking across all positions, which helps explain their 25% open three rate – 3rd highest in the league. On the other end, the Suns likely struggle to handle the Thunder’s fast-paced assault. As a result, they rank 4th defending finishes at the rim and allow the 6th lowest opponent open three rate (per ShotQuality). Oklahoma City will be able to switch all night against this pick and roll heavy Suns team.ĭeandre Ayton poses a problem because of his size and rebounding, but the Thunder do an excellent job showing multiple defenders inside while not abandoning the three-point line. Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and Kenrich Williams can lock down opponents on the perimeter, and Jaylin Williams is radically improving as an interior defender. They are also 10th in ball screen navigation and 4th in passing lane defense (per BBall Index). It’s difficult for them to improvise because only Chris Paul and Devin Booker can create their own shot off the dribble.Įnter the Thunder, who rank 6th in terms of opponent shot quality via pick and roll ball screens (per ShotQuality). Therefore, teams that defend the point of attack well and switch seamlessly can clog the Suns offense. They rank 22nd in pace, 2nd in midrange frequency, 6th in pick and roll ball screen frequency, and 30th in finishing at the rim frequency. Phoenix is a slow team that grinds out possessions with endless pick and rolls. I also believe the Thunder win this around 28-30% of the time, so their +295 moneyline is solid.
Still, +8.5 is too many points to give this Thunder squad, so I’m taking Oklahoma City to cover. Gilgeous-Alexander is questionable, but I don’t expect him to play. It’s a back-to-back for Oklahoma City with yesterday’s game in Utah going to overtime, and Phoenix is a tough opponent even without Kevin Durant. Phoenix, meanwhile, is 11th with a 53.3 cover percentage. The Thunder lead the league with a 62.5 cover percentage, and they are 44-21-2 ATS in their last 67 road games. Oklahoma City needs to win this game at least 26% of the time for their +295 moneyline to hold a positive expected value. The Suns also worked with the Heard Museum, Phoenix Indian Center and Cahokia SocialTech and ArtSpace.The Suns are a considerable favorite as the spread is -8 with a -340 moneyline. The NBA team consulted with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, which includes 21 of the 22 Tribal Nations of Arizona, and the Navajo Nation in the design process. The Suns and the Tribal Nations share a respect for family, community, the environment and basketball.” It was definitely a collective team effort,” said Martinez said in a release.Īdded Suns senior marketing direction Graham Wincott: “It was important to us that we have a City Edition uniform that honors the original residents of Arizona who built the state that we call home. Hearing the voice of our Tribes and having their support makes this even more special. This enabled us to modify and enhance the uniform design with appropriate and culturally relevant details that otherwise would have been missed. “From the beginning, it was essential for us to engage and involve our Tribal communities and leadership in the design and development of the uniform.
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