PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns got run off the court in their 119-84 Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, but will now look to do their best to bounce back in Game 2 tonight.
Although the Thunder finished with the NBA’s best record after winning the championship last year and the Suns are dealing with injuries, teams across the NBA have shown the ability to have a strong response in Game 2s so far even if they were blown out in the opening matchup.
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Can the Suns do the same tonight?
Here are the three most important areas of improvement for Phoenix in Game 2:
Take Care of the Ball, Have Good Ball Movement
Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reaches for a loose ball between Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Thunder thrive off turnovers, and the Suns gifted them 19 of them in Game 1, leading to OKC winning the points off turnovers 34-2 on the night.
Simply put, the Suns aren’t going to win a single game if they cough the ball up like this against this team.
Phoenix also only shot 34.9% from the field, as the Suns offense looked stagnant for the majority of the game.
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Coach Jordan Ott laid out a solution postgame that we could see in effect in Game 2:
“We can’t iso this team. We can’t hold the ball against this team. We can’t take tough 2s all night against this team.”
The Suns will look to execute this, and if Grayson Allen (left hamstring strain) is able to go, he could be a huge difference maker in this area.
Crashing the Defensive Glass
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (right) argues with Dillon Brooks against the Golden State Warriors during the second half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Suns held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 5-of-18 shooting overall and OKC to 30.4% 3-point shooting, but gave the Thunder too many second-chance opportunities.
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Oklahoma City, who ranked 27th in offensive rebounds per game during the regular season, grabbed 19 offensive rebounds on Sunday.
Mark Williams being out played a large part in this, and the Suns will likely have to find a way to make up for his absence again after he was seen wearing a boot during practice yesterday, although he is also questionable.
The Thunder do a great job of not turning the ball over (another area Phoenix could look to get better in), as they only had eight turnovers as a team, leading them to taking 10 more shots on the night than the Suns.
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Ott emphasizes winning the possession game, and if Phoenix gives up too many offensive rebounds and loses the turnover battle by a wide margin, the Suns will continue to not be able to do this.
Overall, the Suns just need to play with more physicality both in getting a body on somebody after a shot and while defending the ball.
3-Point Volume
Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) defends in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Suns’ 3-point shooting wasn’t the biggest weakness in Game 1, as they went 13-for-39 (33.3%) from deep.
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However, one of the only ways the Suns can pull off a victory against a team as dominant as the Thunder is if they have a high number of 3-point makes.
Phoenix needs to find an approach to do this in rhythm and one strategy would be trying to exploit OKC’s double big lineup whenever they use it.
As pointed out before, this would ideally come from good ball movement.
Three-point shooting is an area the Suns hang their hat on, so they need to try to find it tonight.
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We will see if Ott and the Suns make the proper adjustments to give themselves a chance tonight, as Phoenix is a heavy underdog.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/suns/onsi as 3 Areas Suns Have to Improve in Game 2 vs Thunder.
