After Friday's 123-119 Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA Cup victory against the Phoenix Suns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed facing his Canadian men's national basketball teammate, Dillon Brooks. In a game that came down to the wire and was Jalen Williams' regular-season debut from wrist surgery, the Thunder held onto a four-point win to advance into the quarterfinal round of this year's NBA Cup.
After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander talked about what facing Brooks is like, as the intense defensive specialist is also a teammate of SGA's on the Canadian men's national basketball team.
“I love playing against Dillon. I played with him with the national team for a couple of years now,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He, honestly speaking, brings a great fire to every game he plays. Whether you want to or not, you have to compete against Dillon, or he's going to take advantage of you. That's a skill of his, and why he's been so good in this league for so long.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 37 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 3-for-5 from deep, and 14-of-17 free throws led six Thunder players in double figures. He also had eight assists and one steal. Dillon Brooks finished with 19 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and Collin Gillespie (24 points) and Devin Booker (21 points) combined for 45 points, including Gillespie's six threes.
The Thunder extended its winning streak to 11 games, improving to 19-1. Oklahoma City will host the Suns in an NBA Cup rematch in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, December 10.
Jalen Williams preaches patience after Thunder season debut
In his first contest since Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams didn't disappoint for the shorthanded Thunder. Facing the Suns without starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, Williams reprised his role as point-center, an option coach Mark Daigneault turned to when he was without Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein last season. Jalen's playmaking set a tone in the first half. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor.
Williams, who admits he's still far from 100% amid recovery from a second procedure to correct a torn ligament in his right wrist, says it'll take some time to shake the rust off, but patience is key.
“It's gonna take some time,” Williams said. “I haven't played in forever, and there was just a lot of like behind the scenes, as far as, like, what was actually going on with my hand and two hand surgeries, like, still trying to figure my way out through, like, my jump shot and dribbling, and, like, trying to get my touch back, and that's just something that's got to progress throughout the season.”
Williams contributed 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one block in his 2025-26 regular-season debut.
