Thunder 125, Suns 114: Ajay Mitchell's career night steadies a wounded OKC
With Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace facing possible season-ending surgery, Mitchell's 30 points kept the Thunder unbeaten at 4-0.
Two starters lost to surgery, a third out injured, and a fourth hobbling off before halftime — and Oklahoma City still won by double digits. The Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Monday night at Paycom Center to stay unbeaten at 4-0, in a game that said more about their depth than their star.
The context
A day earlier came the gut punch: Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace were both hurt in Sunday's 108-101 win over the Clippers, and per News9 both need surgery that could end their seasons. Chet Holmgren sat out with patellar tendinitis in his right knee, and Alex Caruso sprained his right ankle late in the second quarter and didn't return.
"We can either feel bad for ourselves, which nobody does, or we can go out there and get better," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters of the team's message, according to News9.
The response
Ajay Mitchell, starting in Williams' place, scored a career-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 18 of them before halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander added a tidy 26 on 11-of-18, Jared McCain — pressed into the lineup for Wallace — chipped in 18, and Isaiah Hartenstein posted 15 points and 13 rebounds. OKC led 67-53 at the break, pushed the margin as high as 22, and shot 51% from the floor, per OKC Thunder Wire.
Phoenix got 20 from Jalen Green, 19 from Dillon Brooks and 17 from Miles Bridges, but Devin Booker managed just three points on 1-of-7 shooting — and when Booker disappears, so does Phoenix's margin for error.
What it means
The Thunder's season just became a referendum on the deepest roster in the league. Mitchell and McCain turning spot starts into 48 combined points is exactly the answer the front office built for. OKC visits Dallas on Wednesday; the Suns host Denver on Friday.