The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, but they didn't exactly give them a warm welcome. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured 40 points on the Suns defenders while Josh Giddey serves up an all-around game with 16 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.
But arguably the biggest advantage came from the thousands of fans in the stands who raised the decibel levels against one of the West's top teams. With the Thunder turning the tide with a massive fourth quarter run, Loud City reminded everyone just how loud it can get in OKC.
“We had a home court advantage for sure. They were energetic. They were their usual selves. It was a big game tonight and it felt like it,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the raucous atmosphere on Sunday, via Brandon Rahbar.
“That was the loudest I’ve heard it in my two years here,” said Josh Giddey.
The OKC faithful are no strangers to the playoff atmosphere after a decade-long stretch of making the postseason nearly every year. With the rebuilt Thunder squad inching closer to a shot at a playoff return, the fans are also making sure to get back into postseason form.
“The crowd was the difference in the game tonight. And we need that for every home game from here on out. They were massive,” said Mark Daigneault. “We don’t win the game without a crowd like that.”
There's a lot to cheer about in OKC nowadays. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Lu Dort spearheading a cohesive unit that competes every night, it's only going to get louder.