What to Watch For in OKC Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns

The last time these two teams met up, Jalen Williams rattled the rim with a slam that tore ligaments in his wrist this past April playing out the stretch of the regular season. Williams played through that injury the entire postseason without making a peep. Following the Thunder hoisting their first Larry O'Brien Trophy, the All-NBA Swingman underwent surgery to repair said ligaments. At the end of last month he had a follow up procedure to remove screws which were causing discomfort.

After missing the team's first 19 games, the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to get their no. 2 scoring option back as the All-Defensive forward is set to make his season debut on Friday as the Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Phoenix Suns.

This is the closest the Bricktown Ballers have been to having a healthy team all season. Only missing top bench bucket getter Aaron Wiggins and Rookie guard Nikola Topic.

The Suns enter this game riding high, a surprising 12-7 record that sees the Thunder not only as the Western Conference's No. 6 seed but turning in the NBA's ninth best defense to start the 2025-26 campaign.

As if these weren't enough storylines, today marks the final day of NBA Cup Pool Play, these two teams enter Friday night unbeaten in the Western Conference Group A pool play seeing the winner advance to the knockout stage. Even the loser, with a narrow loss, can still grab hold of the wild card spot via the point differential tiebreaker.

Let's dive into what to watch for in this contest.

OKC Thunder, Phoenix Suns — Apr 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

What to Watch For

The Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup will be worth monitoring. It is expected that Mark Daigneault will race to put together his thought to be staple first five of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Not only watching for this to be the case, but how that lineup looks on the floor as Holmgren and Hartenstein have each gotta better as play finishers next to a drive heavy guard and four of the five make a living in the mid-range.

What does Jalen Williams look like in year four? He is sure to add to his game and continue his incredible trajectory and historically the Thunder do not bring players back on any pitch count, if they are active they get their full share of the minutes. How can Williams bolster this team on both ends? Look for the offense to take a jump without a dip on the defensive end.

Can the Suns defense stand up against its biggest test to date? With so many weapons on Oklahoma City and the Thunder's knack for blowing teams out, if the Suns can make this a game in the final period that would be a statement all by itself regardless of the outcome when the clock hits triple zeros.

Game Information

Date: Nov. 28
Matchup: OKC Thunder (17-1) vs. Phoenix Suns (12-7)
Time: 8:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center –– Oklahoma City, OK
TV: FanDuel Sports OK
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM)

Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder hit the road to take on the Portland Trail Blazers for the third time this month on Sunday, which starts a short West Coast swing to be continued on Tuesday in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors as part of NBC's Tuesday coast-to-coast package that game will tip off at 10 PM CT on Tuesday. Following this game, the OKC Thunder will know where their future lies in the NBA Cup.

Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of this Oklahoma City Thunder season.