The Defining Stat of Suns' First 2 Losses to Thunder

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns were always going to face an uphill battle going against the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in first round, but the most important part was controlling what they can control.

Phoenix now finds itself down 0-2 after Wednesday's 120-107 loss before Game 3 Saturday afternoon in Phoenix.

Despite the losses, Suns have shown a willingness to battle, especially in Game 2, and that fight should continue to increase as the series rolls on.

However, there is one glaring area Phoenix must clean up if it wants to steal a game or two:

Suns' Glaring Negative Stat

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC has shaped a large part of its identity in forcing turnovers and simultaneously taking care of the ball on offense, and it is a big reason why the Thunder have been so successful over the the past few years.

During the regular season, the Thunder ranked second in both opponent turnovers per game (16.7) and fewest turnovers per game (12.6).

This has carried over to the playoffs and allowed for OKC to dominate both points off turnovers and win the possession battle so far, two areas the Suns pride themselves on trying to win.

Here are the numbers from the first two games:

Game 1 turnovers: OKC 8, PHX 19
Game 1 points off turnovers: OKC 34, PHX 2

Game 2 turnovers: OKC 10, PHX 22
Game 2 points off turnovers: OKC 22, PHX 9

A lot of this has to do with the Thunder's swarming defense, but the Suns have to find a way to not let the defensive pressure affect live-ball turnovers and just silly decisions.

Ideally, Phoenix's decision-making should be better as the series goes on because they're facing the same team every game, but it starts at the top with its two main ball-handlers in Devin Booker and Jalen Green, who combined for 12 turnovers in Game 2.

"We've got to take care of it. 22 turnovers. We know that's what they do. We've got to find a way to force more of their turnovers and for us to take care of it," Suns coach Jordan Ott said postgame.

"Lost the possession game again. Big piece, but we found a way to hit those guys, keep them off the glass, rebound, some of the things we talked about. Some of it translated, we just got to do it for the full 48 (minutes)."

To Ott's point, the Suns have not lacked physicality, which is a good sign to see and could end up paying dividends, just as it did with them winning the offensive rebounding battle in Game 2 (15-12) after giving up 19 offensive boards in Game 1.

Even though it's highly unlikely the Suns come back to win the series, stealing Game 3 would go a long way for Phoenix in terms of its confidence and building for the future, but the Suns must find a way to clean up the turnover differential.

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