The Thunder blew out the Suns tonight from the NBA Cup after a 138-89 win against the short-handed Phoenix. Emotions seemingly boiled over in the third quarter when Grayson Allen pushed Chet Holmgren intentionally while setting a screen. Subsequently, Allen was ejected from the game for a Flagrant foul 2, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s reaction went viral.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 11, 2025
Considering that the Suns were without Devin Booker and Jalen Green, the defending champions were the clear favorites coming into this game. But the Suns felt they had to respond with a certain level of physicality. Especially since the Thunder nearly ran away with the game in the first half itself (74-48 score at halftime), the Suns players were bound to be frustrated.
Shai’s reaction to Chet getting pushed 😭
Grayson Allen was ejected after the play. pic.twitter.com/bpvZNAYYSd
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 11, 2025
NBA fans saw this incident on social media and expressed their opinions on the questionable play. Several reactions flooded the internet on the MVP’s viral response.
“Bro took his frustrations towards Shai out on him. Shai received the message, though. 🤣🤣.”
“I can’t even lie, Shai’s got the funniest facial expressions in the league.”
“The league HATES them, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often.”
“This needs to be a meme ASAPPPPP!!! 😂😂😂😂”
“They mad they getting spanked lmaooo.”
“Shai, seeing what an actual foul looks like, blew his mind. 😂”
On the previous possession, Holmgren seemingly pushed Allen to the floor, and it seemed like this was the former Duke guard’s response. Allen is infamous in the league for being too aggressive, but some might argue that what he did was proportional to Holmgren’s act on the previous play.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 11, 2025
Following their last meeting before tonight, even Devin Booker had called out the Thunder’s defensive tactics and seemingly pointed to the frustrations resulting from what the officials are allowing the defending champions to get away with.
Gilgeous-Alexander stuffed the box score tonight in just 27 minutes on the floor. He finished the game with 28 points, eight assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block while shooting 11-of-15 from the field (73.3%) and 3-of-4 from the three-point line (75%). His incredible efficiency this season has earned him comparisons with Michael Jordan.
The Thunder have extended their winning streak to 16 games after beating the Suns tonight and qualified for the semifinals of the NBA Cup. They will face the winner of the Lakers vs. the Spurs on Saturday night (December 13).
