Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns: Postgame Grades and Analysis
In an epic point guard duel between Eric Bledsoe and Russell Westbrook, the Phoenix Suns upended the Oklahoma City Thunder, 117-113 on Thursday.
Bledsoe turned in a star performance, going blow-for-blow with Westbrook and coming out victorious. He finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and shot 11-of-16 from the field.
Westbrook, meanwhile, logged his second straight double-double. He went off for 39 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, but shot just 12-of-38 from the field.
His stat stuffing wasn't quite enough for the Thunder, as Bledsoe and Markieff Morris, who scored a team-high 29 points, were able to answer over and over.
| Phoenix Suns | Grades |
| Eric Bledsoe | A+ |
| Brandon Knight | B |
| Markieff Morris | B+ |
| P.J. Tucker | B- |
| Alex Len | B+ |
| Rest of Team | C |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Grades |
| Russell Westbrook | B |
| Serge Ibaka | B- |
| Enes Kanter | B+ |
| Dion Waiters | B- |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Phoenix Suns
Eric Bledsoe: A+
Bledsoe outplayed his counterpart on both ends, which says a lot when you consider Westbrook's triple-double.
Because he's one of the only players in the league who might be in Westbrook's league athletically, Bledsoe was able to force Westbrook into numerous bad shots and kept him off balance on the other end. On several occasions, he drove by Westbrook with ease and got to the second line of defense.
His own defense was solid, as he mostly stayed in front of Westbrook in the half court and did a good job of meeting him high on the floor and funneling him away from the rim in transition.
Brandon Knight continues to look solid while playing off the ball with Bledsoe. His three-point stroke from the shooting guard position helps keep defenses honest and stretched out to the line, giving Bledsoe more room to operate inside.
He finished with 15 points, while shooting 3-of-8 from three-point range.
On the other end, he was beat on a couple of occasions by Dion Waiters, but his defense was generally solid. For the most part, he just let Waiters be Waiters and gave him the bad shots he likes. It just so happens that he made some of those long, pull-up twos.
Markieff Morris: B+
Morris was the first scoring option for the Suns, hoisting up a team-high 26 shots. Most of the shooting came from the mid-range, where Kanter and Serge Ibaka were reluctant to venture out.
He also did a good job defensively, closing out hard on Ibaka's catches, knowing that the Thunder big man is always looking for those catch-and-shoot opportunities.
P.J. Tucker: B-
P.J. Tucker had his usual, steady impact, scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in his 35 minutes.
He can typically leave a bigger mark on defense or on the boards, but with Kevin Durant out, he really wasn't called on to do too much.
Alex Len: B+
He may have struggled to keep Kanter out of the paint in the first and third quarters, but Alex Len turned in a solid performance for himself on the other end.
He finished with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 boards, proving himself to be a worthy option around the rim when Bledsoe ran out of room on his drives.
Rest of Team: C
Marcus Morris was Phoenix's most impactful player off the bench, scoring 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting and grabbing five boards.
No other reserve played more than 16 minutes, as coach Jeff Hornacek kept a tight, playoff-like rotation.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook: B
This was about as Russell Westbrook as a performance can be. Just soak in his final line one more time. Thirty-nine points, 11 assists, 14 rebounds, four turnovers, 12-of-38 shooting and 1-of-10 three-point shooting.
Talk about stuffing a stat sheet.
The problem here is obvious. Even when Westbrook's shot isn't falling, he continues to force up contested jumper after contested jumper.
Let's not completely ignore the triple-double, though. One mark of a great player is being able to impact a game in ways beyond scoring. Westbrook clearly did that.
Serge Ibaka: B-
After a very slow first three quarters, Ibaka came on late, finishing the game with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go with his nine rebounds and three blocks.
One of his blocks came as the clock ran out in regulation, as he swatted the ball out of bounds and sent the game into overtime.
Enes Kanter: B+
While Ibaka was struggling to find his rhythm, Kanter was dominating inside, scoring all 18 of his points in the first three quarters.
He was so good that OKC began running its offense through him. On a few possessions, Westbrook merely dribbled to Kanter's side, entered the ball and let him go.
The problem for Kanter was the same as it's always been, he has a very hard time defending.
"Thats the downside of Kanter, got completely blown by there as though he was set in stone.
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) February 27, 2015"
If coach Scott Brooks can find a way to hide him on that end, the balance he brings to the offense makes the team much better.
Dion Waiters: B-
The oft-maligned Dion Waiters had one of his more efficient games, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to contribute much beyond the jump shots. He finished the game with zero rebounds and zero assists.
Rest of Team: C+
Starting small forward Kyle Singler only played 22 minutes, and scored just seven points on 2-of-6 shooting. In case it's not obvious, OKC needs Durant.
Beyond Waiters, the only other player from the second unit who really made an impact was D.J. Augustin. He scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Nick Collison wasn't able to provide much production behind Ibaka and Kanter, grabbing six rebounds and going just 1-of-4 from the field.
Coming Up Next
The Thunder's next game will be on the road, Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m. ET. OKC will face a challenge similar to Morris in LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Suns will be at home to take on the slumping San Antonio Spurs, Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Bledsoe should be able to have another big game against Tony Parker, who's struggling as much as any Spur.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
