Player grades: Thunder finish regular season with 135-103 loss to Suns
Player grades for the Oklahoma City Thunder's 135-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Playing the regular-season finale out of necessity, this consequence-free outing shaped more into a two-hour party than an actual basketball game. Nothing left to prove in the regular season for the reigning NBA champions. Instead, this acted as the calm before the playoff storm.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell in a forgettable 135-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns . Anybody hoping to finish the regular season with a bang was quickly disappointed. Just like last game, the Thunder sat out their nine best players.
Only one longtime starter suited up in Lu Dort — and that was only to meet the 65-game requirement to qualify for an All-Defense Team. The other seven guys who suited up were end-of-the-bench players plus the three two-way guys. The Suns did the same.
Stuck in the seventh seed, they sat out all of their starters. They'll get two chances to clinch a playoff spot this upcoming week in the play-in tournament. Which means there's a coin flip chance they return to OKC in a week for a Round 1 matchup.
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