The Phoenix Suns came away with a dramatic 108-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Although Devin Booker‘s clutch three-pointer sealed the win for the Suns, Dillon Brooks highlighted the key adjustments Phoenix made to put them in a position to secure the victory.
While speaking during his post-game media availability, Brooks revealed how the team had adapted to OKC’s performances after losing in their first two meetings with the team.
“We switched our schemes and strategies,” Brooks said. “We’ve played them two times before. We switched our game plan, and it was working. In the first two games that we played them, we let them get anything, especially with Chet.”
“We were watching games that they lost, and Chet never had a good game,” he continued. “So we switched the matchup, and we limited Chet’s three-point shots and his getting to the lane. Overall, we matched their physicality, and we rebounded when we needed it. You always get up for the games against the best.”
For the most part, the Suns’ plans worked. Chet Holmgren was limited to 18 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. Although OKC’s star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams still combined for 48 points, the overall contributions from the remainder of the roster were quite underwhelming.
In response to the Thunder, Phoenix saw Jordan Goodwin lead the scoring effort with 26 points. Brooks contributed with 22 points and four rebounds, and Booker posted 24 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.
Dillon Brooks went on to give credit to teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, who had also managed to beat the Thunder this season. While addressing how studying those games helped the Suns make the necessary adjustments, he noted that the strategy for beating OKC involved forcing the Thunder’s role players to take over the offensive burden.
With a noteworthy win, the Suns improve to 21-14 on the season. With a 2-1 regular season series record against the Thunder, Phoenix will aim to recreate this result in the remaining matchups.
Dillon Brooks Prepared To Face Rockets
Despite a win against a Western Conference juggernaut, Dillon Brooks keeps his focus intact. With the Suns scheduled to play the Houston Rockets on Monday night, Brooks is prepared to secure another victory for his team.
During the same interview, Dillon Brooks was asked about his outlook toward the upcoming matchup against his former team. The forward responded:
“I want to get that one, too. We lost the first two games against them, and this will be another good test for us, especially when adversity’s ahead of us.”
As Dillon Brooks mentioned, the first two outings, much like the games against the Thunder, were blowout losses for the Suns. However, Phoenix seems to have turned a corner lately. With a 7-3 record over the last 10 games, the Suns appear to be a formidable unit.
Brooks’ individual talents have shone this season as the secondary option next to Devin Booker, averaging 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Given that Phoenix is also on a two-game winning streak after this win, the Suns appear to be in a strong position to take on the Rockets on the road.
