Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns opened their first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Oklahoma City, stepping into a matchup that starts with pressure and little margin for error. The top-seeded Thunder won 64 games in the regular season and have spent much of the year playing as one of the league’s most difficult teams to break down.
Booker did not sound surprised by any of it. When asked about Oklahoma City’s style, he said, “That’s what they do.” He added that both teams pressure every possession and called it a physical series that should be fun. That tone fit the numbers behind the matchup: Oklahoma City finished with the league’s best defense, ranked No. 1 in turnover percentage, second in turnovers forced and second-best in opposing free-throw rate, while also staying in the top 10 in its own free-throw rate.
The Thunder reached this point despite injuries that tested the depth of a roster built to survive them. Jalen Williams played only 33 games last season and Isaiah Hartenstein missed 35, yet only Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace reached 70 appearances for Oklahoma City. The result was a team that still looked fresh enough to take the top seed and disciplined enough to make every possession count.
Phoenix had reasons to believe it could make that discipline work against Oklahoma City. The Thunder’s defensive rebounding rate was only average, and the Suns were looking to exploit that weakness on the glass after getting through the play-in games and reaching the series on a short turnaround. That meant Sunday arrived with less recovery time for Phoenix and a much narrower path to steal control early.
Booker’s recent history against the Thunder is the backdrop that gives the series its sharpest edge. Over the last three seasons, he has gone 1-5 against Oklahoma City and shot 38.9% in those six games, averaging 18.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 turnovers. His high against the Thunder in that span was 24 points, and he did not crack double digits in field goals in any of the six meetings.
That record stands out because Booker has overwhelmed plenty of other opponents. He has scored 40-plus points against 12 different teams over the last three seasons and reached at least 33 points against every other Western Conference opponent during that stretch. Against Oklahoma City, though, the margin has been tighter, even with his ability to get to the line. He averaged 9.8 free-throw attempts per game in those matchups, took 15 free throws in two of the last four meetings and drew 23 free throws across the two play-in games. In the regular season, he produced 23 double-digit outputs, six more than in any previous season.
Those numbers do not decide a series by themselves, but they explain why this one already feels physical and familiar. Oklahoma City has the defense, the depth and the rest. Phoenix has Booker, a short turnaround and a matchup history that says the Suns will have to earn everything.
