Thunder vs Suns: Who has the edge in first round of NBA Playoffs?
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The OKC Thunder will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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No. 1-seeded OKC is looking to defend its first championship in franchise history. Meanwhile, No. 8 Phoenix is looking to make some noise in the postseason after emerging from the Play-In Tournament.
OKC and Phoenix faced off five times during the regular season, including one game in the NBA Cup. The Thunder won the series, 3-2.
Here's a complete breakdown of the Thunder-Suns matchup:
OKC Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns matchup breakdown
Thunder vs. Suns: Backcourt starters
Phoenix has a dynamic starting backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
The term "three-level scorer" gets thrown around a lot, but Booker is legitimately that. He's a threat to get buckets around the rim, in the mid-range game and behind the arc. And Green is a hyper-athletic guard who's been known to catch fire.
But OKC's backcourt is far more balanced. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the most unguardable scorer in all of basketball, and Lu Dort is a lockdown defender who'll make Booker work for his points.
Booker and Green could certainly swing this backcourt matchup in their favor for a game or two. But Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort should have the edge over the course of a seven-game series.
Edge: Thunder
Thunder vs. Suns: Frontcourt starters
It'd be asking a lot for Jalen Williams to perform like an All-NBA player this series, considering he has dealt with multiple nagging injuries this season. But I still expect him to be highly impactful as a shot creator, playmaker and versatile defender.
OKC also has versatility with its 7-foot duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Holmgren is a floor-spacing forward and an elite rim protector, while Hartenstein is an impressive playmaker and a strong rebounder.
Phoenix also has some firepower in the frontcourt with Dillon Brooks leading the charge. He's the team's defensive tone setter, and he's even averaging a career-high 20.2 points this season.
But other frontcourt pieces such as Royce O'Neale and Mark Williams simply don't stack up with what the Thunder is rolling out. This is another advantage for OKC.
Edge: Thunder
Thunder vs. Suns: Bench production
It has taken a group effort for Phoenix to climb its way into the playoffs after parting ways with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this past summer.
Collin Gillespie has carved out a vital role as a gritty, high-IQ guard who can facilitate and shoot it from deep. Jordan Goodwin has provided energy as a standout defender and an aggressive rebounder at his size. And the list of bench contributors goes on, from Grayson Allen to Ryan Dunn to Oso Ighodaro.
I would give Phoenix the edge in this department against a lot of teams, but OKC isn't one of them. The Thunder is finally at full strength after an injury-riddled season, and it has no shortage of guys who can step up.
OKC has elite defenders in Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso. It has shot creators in Ajay Mitchell and Aaron Wiggins. It has shooters in Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain. And it has versatile forwards in Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams.
Edge: Thunder
Thunder vs. Suns: Coaching
What a job Jordan Ott has done in his first season as Phoenix's head coach.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant has maximized the talents of a team many people believed would finish near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. It's a fundamentally-sound group that plays hard and plays together, and embraces physicality.
This is Ott's first playoff run as a head coach, though. And an opening-round series against the reigning champion Thunder is quite a first test.
I'm giving the edge to Mark Daigneault. He's another highly-intelligent head coach who maximizes players' talents and has his group playing connected basketball, plus he has championship experience.
Edge: Thunder
Thunder vs. Suns: Intangibles
OKC will win this series. It's the more talented team on both ends of the floor, and it's mostly the same group that won a title together last season.
But I do think Phoenix will take a game from the reigning champs, which is no small feat. This group deserves plenty of praise for the way it has competed this season, surpassing the expectations of everyone outside of the locker room.
The Suns will bring the fight to the Thunder, which is what you have to do. They'll muck up the game with their tough style of play, and they won't beat themselves.
I can't put my finger on a category where Phoenix has an edge in this matchup, but it's clearly a good basketball team. It's only right to give it the nod in the intangibles department.
Edge: Suns
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who has the edge in Thunder vs Suns in first round of NBA Playoffs?