Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen didn’t make it to the end of their NBA Cup quarterfinals match with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Allen was ejected after he shoved Thunder star Chet Holmgren while attempting to get around a screen in the third quarter of their blowout 138-89 loss to Oklahoma City at the Paycom Center. Allen extended hard with both arms and sent Holmgren flying to the ground, which sparked a bit of an altercation on the floor.
Allen walked away as players from both teams swarmed each other briefly. Eventually, they were all separated by officials and assistants without much issue.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s reaction behind the play, which the Amazon Prime Video cameras provided in slow motion, may be the best part.
Allen was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for his actions, and was immediately ejected. He finished the night with 10 points and four assists while shooting 3 of 9 from the field. Allen, who grew a reputation for tripping after several incidents in college at Duke, has been relatively quiet on that front after multiple similar hard fouls and a suspension early in his NBA career. The 30-year-old, now in his third season with the Suns, is averaging a career-high 16.9 points and 3.9 assists per game this year.
While it’s not an excuse, it’s easy to see why Allen may have been frustrated before he was thrown out. The Thunder were up by more than 30 points and appeared well on their way to yet another blowout win — which secured them a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas later this week. They took a 26-point lead into the locker room at halftime, and then pushed that to 38 points by the end of the third quarter.
The Thunder eventually rolled to the 49-point win, which was their largest of the season. They’ve now had five 30-point wins so far this season, just three away from matching their total from last season.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 16 points, and was the only other Phoenix starter to hit double figures. Devin Booker was ruled out ahead of time due to a groin injury. The Suns now sit at 14-11.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and eight assists to lead the Thunder. Holmgren finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. They shot 59% from the field as a group and 22 for 40 from behind the arc.
The Thunder have now won 16 straight games and have won 24 of their first 25 games of the season. Though it’s still early, the Thunder are on pace to break the NBA’s single-season wins record. They advanced to take on either the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
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