To some people’s surprise, the Phoenix Suns will be in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the NBA. Even with a 23-1 record, it’s not seeming to phase the Suns, and specifically Collin Gillespie.
While Devin Booker remains sidelined for the Suns with a groin injury, he could come back in time for Wednesday’s game.
However, after Phoenix took down the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Gillespie is ready for Oklahoma City, regardless of what his team looks like.
“We know what it is. I think everybody else does as well,” Gillespie said postgame via AZCentral’s Duane Rankin on X (formerly Twitter).
“Hopefully, we have (Devin) Book back out there for that, but if not, we go in with the same mentality that we do every other game. We expect to win.”
Phoenix faced Oklahoma City roughly two weeks ago and put up a solid fight. Still, that was with Booker in the starting lineup, which makes a major difference. Without the star shooting guard, the Suns have found ways to pull off scrappy wins.
Can the Suns pull off the impossible against the Thunder in the NBA Cup?
Never say never, if you’re Phoenix, due to the scrappy nature and defensive instincts. In the previous contests between the two teams, the Suns did a good job of being active with their hands and coming up with steals and deflections.
At the end of the day, they ultimately lost due to the on-ball turnovers and exceeding their maximum of 20 turnovers in a game. Again, playing without Booker creates a disadvantage, but Mark Williams has a simple message for Wednesday’s game.
“They’re (Oklahoma City) rolling right now,” Williams said via Rankin on X (formerly Twitter). “Whoever is out on the court just needs to step up.”
Even if Wednesday’s outcome doesn’t make too much of a difference in the final season standings, taking down the NBA’s top team alone is a reason to win.
There’s a hefty amount of pride in the quarterfinals, considering how close the Suns were to taking down the Thunder.
They’ll have a chance to rewrite the script, and execute their expectations of Suns basketball involving tenacious defense, taking care of the basketball, and keeping the offense humming.
