Suns guard Grayson Allen let frustration get the best of him and was ejected with Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game way out of Phoenix’s hands against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns were trailing by 36 points with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter when Allen got the boot, as his foul on Chet Holmgren was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after an official’s review. It marked his first ejection in a Suns uniform.
SGAs reaction to the flagrant 😂 pic.twitter.com/0V7KONA5hQ
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) December 11, 2025
The review determined that Allen committed all three of the criteria needed for the foul, with impact, windup and follow through. The call appeared, however, to be two-faced as OKC’s Holmgren performed a more obvious version of the criteria on the possession prior (a shove into the back of Allen) and was rewarded with an and-1 on a proceeding Royce O’Neale foul.
Allen, who was in the starting lineup with Devin Booker and Jalen Green sidelined, finished his night with 10 points (3-of-9 shooting), four assists, a rebound and a steal in 22 minutes.
The guard’s -41 plus/minus was a common sight across the board for Phoenix in the 138-89 loss — the 49-point margin being the largest in franchise history.
Dillon Brooks registered a -47 on the floor, only one tick short of tying T.J. Warren for the worst single-game plus/minus by a Suns player, and not one of the 13 to appear in Wednesday’s game performed in the positive.
Phoenix rookies Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming did get some rare NBA action so far this season, logging 10 minutes apiece. Maluach had two points (1-of-3), three rebounds and one assist, while Fleming had seven points (3-of-5, 1-of-2 from 3) and a steal.
