Suns Won't Go Down to Thunder Without Swinging

The Phoenix Suns are down 3-0, but they're far from done.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) walks off the court in the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns are in a spot many expected but zero wanted.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a commanding 3-0 series lead on Phoenix after a win at Mortgage Matchup Center this weekend, putting the Suns on the brink of elimination.

Suns star Dillon Brooks, asked if the loss if the circumstances were daunting, offered the following:

"Daunting? I believe in our group no matter if we don't have experience or the rah-rah of a basketball team that is OKC or whoever it is. We have heart and we're gonna battle to the end," said Brooks.

"We're ready to find adjustments and find a way to get ready and {have] energy for Game 4."

The Suns are now on the wrong side of history, as 159 teams have emerged with a 3-0 lead in an NBA playoff series. None have failed to advance.

Phoenix doesn't feel like the team to reverse course, though it's hard to ignore the job the Suns did to get to this point.

"We'll take a look at that tomorrow. Come in the building just like we do every other game, evaluate it, learn from it. Monday night, all effort is to win Monday night," Suns coach Jordan Ott told reporters.

"It's these series that you got to look at game-by-game, and you just got to win that night. And then you never know what's going to happen. You never know how it's going to turn, so, all our energy and effort will be, come back in the building tomorrow with the idea that we need to get better and adjust and fine tune to be ready to go Monday night.”

The Suns, in our pre-playoff predictions, were expected to go out in five games. That now feels like a win if Phoenix were able to snag a Game 4 upset on Monday.

“Overall, they are a well-oiled machine,” Suns star Devin Booker said on OKC.

“They're the champs for a reason. They know what they want to get every time down court and they definitely know what they are doing on the defensive end. We have some growing to do and some learning to do in those departments.”

The good news? Phoenix will never go down without a fight, and even with the odds stacked against them, the Suns are hoping extend the series in front of their home crowd tomorrow.