OKLAHOMA CITY — As Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder increased their second-half lead by a dozen points, Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen committed a Flagrant-2 foul on Chet Holmgren. Allen fought through Holmgren's screen with an elbow across the chest that sent Chet to the ground. Players from both teams had to be separated before the officials reviewed the play, ruling it a Flagrant-2, which ended Allen's night.
After the game, Williams responded to Allen's controversial foul during his postgame media availability.
“We're up 40. I think something happened the play before. So, there was probably some frustration there,” Williams said. “Just making sure I had Chet's back and that's about it. I don't know. He's kind of done it his whole career. So, I feel him. Just made sure I had my teammates and just go from there. It's not anything really to be blown up. As bad as I want it to be, something that's blown up, it's the NBA. Nobody really fights anyway.”
The Thunder handed the Suns one of their worst losses of the season while advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals, where it will face the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas on Saturday. Holmgren finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.
Grayson Allen exited the game with 10 points, four assists, and one steal. Jalen Williams added 15 points on 5-of-8 attempts, five rebounds, five assists, and one steal for the Thunder.
“I thought the refs handled the situation tonight well,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “Those things can get a little squirly from time to time if the refs don't handle it with a firm hand. I thought they handled it appropriately tonight.”
Why Mark Daigneault isn't focused on Thunder's streak
The Thunder are on their longest winning streak in franchise history — 16 in a row. What's the secret to winning so many consecutive games? Head coach Mark Daigneault revealed the Thunder's key ingredient to keeping the streak going.
“Not focusing on the win streak,” Daigneault said. “You just gotta play the next possession, get better the next day, win the next quarter, and compete in the next game. If you do that and you're present in the process, sometimes you look up, and you win a certain amount of games in a row. But we certainly need to understand that we still have a lot of improvement to make. We have a lot of things to sustain and a lot of competitive challenges ahead.
“There's a lot of season ahead of us. But guys have done a great job of staying very present in the season, so far, competing in the moment, and it's put us in a nice position,” Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder will face the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas.
