By the second quarter, Oklahoma City had built a 36-25 lead over the Suns, and Phoenix was already feeling the pressure. With the Knicks and Magic punching their tickets to the Las Vegas semifinals, the Suns were hoping to follow suit. But without Devin Booker on the floor, that dream suddenly looks a lot harder, especially facing a Thunder squad riding a 23-1 start to the season.

Devin Booker is sidelined with a strained right groin, and this marks his third straight game out. He was originally listed as questionable, so there’s hope he’s inching closer to a return, but tonight, Phoenix will have to make do without him.

With Booker out, the Suns are leaning on Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin to handle extra playmaking duties in the backcourt. Booker, who leads the team with 25 points per game, was injured back on Dec. 1 during Phoenix’s win over the Lakers, and he’s scheduled for an evaluation this week to monitor his progress.

Booker missed Wednesday’s shooting drills, though he later got on the court for some dribbling work, showing he’s still trying to stay sharp. Suns coach Jordan Ott had sounded optimistic earlier in the week, saying before Friday’s loss to the Rockets that Booker “had a chance to play tonight if his body is feeling good and he’s in a good place.” But for now, that won’t be happening.

Phoenix has already felt the ups and downs without its star guard. The Suns went 1-1 while Booker has been out, a rough blowout loss to Houston on Friday, followed by a narrow 108-105 win over the Timberwolves on Monday.

This isn’t the first time Booker has struggled with groin problems. Back in the 2022-23 season, he missed 21 straight games after aggravating a left groin injury. As the Suns’ longest-tenured player, he’s been the heartbeat of the franchise, averaging 24.5 points, four rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 46.4% shooting from the field and 35.3% from three over 11 seasons.

Losing him is never easy, and Phoenix will have to lean on the rest of the squad while their star works to get back to full strength.

OKC beats Suns in lopsided victory

Oklahoma City is on a roll this season, and the numbers back it up. They’re top five in points per game (123, 2nd), steals (10, 2nd), field goal percentage (49.7%, 3rd), and free throw percentage (83%, 2nd). Their +16.2 average point differential already beats last year’s record-setting +12.9, showing just how much this team is dominating.

The Suns knew they were in for a challenge. These two teams faced off on Nov. 28 in NBA Cup group play, and Phoenix came close in a tight 123-119 loss.

“The secret is out—they do speed you up. They play aggressive,” Booker said after that game.

This time, though, Booker isn’t on the court to lead the charge, and the Suns are also missing Jalen Green, making the task even harder.

In that first matchup, Phoenix actually out-rebounded the Thunder 51-37 and nearly pulled off a win despite hitting only 34% from three and committing 20 turnovers. Without their key players tonight, the Suns couldn’t keep pace, falling 138-89. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 28 points, eight assists, two rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Chet Holmgren chipped in 24 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.

With the win, Oklahoma City moves to 24-1, tying the 2015-16 Warriors for the best start through 25 games in NBA history. The Thunder now head to Las Vegas to take on the winner of the Lakers-Spurs quarterfinal, and after a showing like tonight, they look like serious contenders to run deep in the tournament.