Ahead of Friday's NBA Cup game, Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker was looking forward to faicng the champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The challenge of facing defending champions with the stakes higher than most regular season games is an excellent test for the Suns, who pulled to within one point (115-114) down the stretch of a 123-119 before the Thunder outscored Phoenix 8-5 in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
After the loss, Booker spoke to the significance of giving the Thunder one of its more competitive games, thus far, versus a team with an 19-1 record. Booker is looking forward to an NBA Cup rematch in the quarterfinals, back at the Paycom Center, he said, per AZ Central's Duane Rankin.
“We fought. We fought all the way through. We knew it was going to be a scrappy game. It's exactly what it was. Some things to learn from,” Booker said. “We'll get another opportunity tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll get a couple of players back by then. But it's going to be another dogfight. They have that going. It's going to be that every time we match up with them. It's going to be five times this season that we play them. So, we'll get a good dose of it.”
Booker finished with 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a pair of threes, and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. Collin Gillespie added 24 points, including 6-of-11 threes, four assists, and one steal, and Dillon Brooks tallied 19 points and two steals.
The Suns will look to bounce back from their loss against when they host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Devin Booker gets real on Suns' NBA Cup matchup
Suns All-Star Devin Booker used the defending champion Thunder as a measuring stick to guage just how far his team has grown throughout the first month of the regular season. When the Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Rockets, many assumed 2025-26 would be the beginning of another rebuilding season.
However, the Suns' 12-8 record, sixth-best in the Western Conference, says otherwise, as Booker and the Suns will get another crack at handing the Thunder a loss in their NBA Cup rematch.
“It's going to be a great test for us. They have it rolling. They're playing some of the best basketball the NBA has ever seen,” Booker said ahead of Friday's matchup. “I'm excited to matchup against that. Another Cup game. We're looking forward to that.”
The Thunder will host the Suns in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, December 10.
