The Good, Bad and Ugly From Suns' Game 1 Loss to Thunder

The Phoenix Suns, thankfully, will have a few days to resettle and regroup after their blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The Suns now find themselves in a 0-1 hole against the defending NBA champions - which isn't quite surprising given expectations on both sides. However, the eyes more so opened at how Phoenix arrived to their series deficit in a 48 minutes that was humbling in a few ways.

Evaluating the good, bad and ugly from Game 1 action at Paycom Center:

The Good: Devin Booker Didn't Disappear

Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There honestly wasn't a ton of positives to take from Phoenix's Game 1 loss, though Devin Booker was one of the few performances, either individually or collectively, that wasn't quite dissapointing.

Did Booker hit a 40-burger and will the Suns to a win? Not quite, though given the circumstances, his team-leading 23 points on 8-17 shooting with six rebounds and two assists certainly can't be chalked as a negative.

Especially earlier in the week where Booker caught heat for his lackluster outing against the Portland Trail Blazers, it's good to see Phoenix's best player wasn't a reason they lost in OKC.

It's clear Booker may need to really boost some of his shooting numbers if the Suns will have a chance of turning things around, though at least for today he was probably one of the better parts of Phoenix's team.

The Bad: Dillon Brooks' Shooting

Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) against the Golden State Warriors during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brooks' success this regular season was largely thanks to a career high of (roughly) 21 points averaged per night, which was a pleasant surprise in terms of his offensive production.

That played a big factor in Phoenix's ability to flip the script and reach the postseason, though Sunday was a reminder of just how volatile things can be with Brooks.

On top of getting a flagrant foul, Brooks added 18 points on just 6-22 shooting, which included three-of-10 attempts made from deep.

He led all Suns in shot attempts in their Game 1 loss.

When Brooks is hot, his shooting provides another layer of scoring opposing defenses have to worry about. Yet in games like these, sometimes the volume and inefficiency does more harm than good.

In the postseason, performances like these have to be the exception and not the rule if Phoenix is going to be at their best.

The Ugly: Suns' Injury Woes Continue

Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23) against the Portland Trail Blazers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

All regular season, the Suns dealt with injuries which prevented them from truly hitting their ceiling while also stopping them from establishing a higher level of chemistry on the court between their key players.

That was the case in their play-in tournament cameo, and it's again prevelent as the playoffs are officially underway.

Entering today, the Suns ruled out starting center Mark Williams as he heals a left foot injury while Grayson Allen was active (dealing with a hamstring issue) before sitting the entire game out of caution.

Things went from bad to worse for the Suns when starting guard/top defender Jordan Goodwin exited in the second quarter of today's loss with a calf issue, which saw him miss the remainder of the game. Goodwin previously dealt with a calf injury this year, so the flare-up might not be promising.

A fully healthy Suns team probably isn't beating Oklahoma City, and that's fine. However, it's dissapointing Phoenix hasn't been able to roll out their fully healthy team at practically any point this year — which now includes the playoffs.

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