THUNDER ROLL
Paul George scores 32 in Oklahoma’s 118-101 win over Phoenix Suns
Oklahoma City — Once the Oklahoma City Thunder got going, the Phoenix Suns couldn’t stop them.
Paul George matched his season high with 32 points and went 6 of 10 from 3-point range, Dennis Schroder added 20 points and nine assists, and the Thunder beat the Suns 118-101 on Monday night.
Oklahoma City scored 22 straight points in the first quarter, holding the Suns scoreless for nearly seven minutes, to take a 24-5 lead. The Thunder never trailed again and led by as many as 28 points in the second quarter before settling for a 64-40 halftime lead. The Suns whittled that margin down to seven points in the fourth quarter but came no closer.
“As a group, I thought we sensed the energy,” George said. “I felt we were the more aggressive team. . I thought we just jumped on them. Once you get one stop, you get another, and at that point, we were just in a groove. We felt good out there.”
The Thunder have won eight of their last nine games after a 0-4 start while the Suns have lost four straight and 11 of their last 12. Two of those losses have come in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder were 13 of 27 on 3-point attempts.
The Thunder played a fourth straight game without star guard Russell Westbrook, who sat out with a sprained left ankle on his 30th birthday. They didn’t need him against Phoenix, thanks to George, Schroder and Steven Adams, who had 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. /