PHOENIX — Jusuf Nurkic broke sun‘ franchise record with 31 rebounds, the most in an NBA game in 13 years, but he didn’t want to talk much about this achievement after a game. Lost 118-110 arrive Oklahoma City Thunder On Sunday night.
Nurkic and Phoenix coach Frank Vogel was critical of several missed foul shots after the Thunder won despite a 24-point lead.
“I don’t know, man, I’m just trying to play my role the best I can,” Nurkic said. But it’s really messy when you have 13 offensive rebounds and 16 shots then no free throws.” “The harder I work, the more I feel like [I’m] fouled like [much as] anyone in the league.
“And I’m not here to say — we lost the game, that’s the truth — [but] it’s just, it’s not really common sense. At least [free throw]. [To] Don’t even have one? But I know it will happen. Unfortunately, I’m not the first and I won’t be the last.”
In particular, Vogel focuses on how often he thinks the Sun stars Kevin Durant has been fouled.
“We have to get better,” the coach said. “[But] I’ll start by saying they fouled Kevin Durant all night. Whether he had the ball and was stripped of it three, four, maybe even five times, and every time he tried to get open, he was held back, that’s something I really want the league to look at. ”
Both Vogel and Nurkic recorded 22 turnovers for the Suns. Oklahoma City has six.
“That’s where it starts, the revenue issue,” Vogel added. “We’ve had problems with it all year long. This team is No. 1 in the league in forcing turnovers; we didn’t handle their pressure and length well enough — and recognize the our length when we try to touch the paint. It’s very expensive.”
Nurkic also finished with 14 points, but he had five turnovers for Phoenix.
“Another revenue issue,” he said. “We have 22? So I think we all agree in the locker room that this s— has to change. We’ll see something different going forward.”
Nurkic’s efforts produced the most offensive rebounds of any player since Kevin love there were 31 in 2010, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
“It’s unbelievable,” Vogel said of Nurkic. “Putting the loss aside, you just have to look at a 31-rebound night, at any point in NBA history, [it] just an incredible performance. The best in Phoenix Suns history. He’s a monster on the defensive end of the field.”
On November 12, 2010, Love, while with Minnesota Timberwolffinished with 31 points and 31 rebounds in a 112-103 win New York Knicks. Nurkic was just 16 years old when Love posted that total.
“I saw on the screen that I had 28,” Nurkic said when asked if he knew during the match that he was on his way to history. “But it doesn’t really matter. I mean, it was great, but we lost the game.”
Nurkic eclipsed Phoenix’s mark of 27 rebounds set by Tyson Chandler Atlanta Hawks in January 2016. Nurkic’s previous career peak was at age 23. Portland Trail Blazers against Sacramento Kings in January 2019. The 7-footer had 22 goals earlier this season against both teams Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Network.
The Suns played Sunday without their star point guard Devin Booker after he sprained his right ankle in the away team’s loss Houston Rocket on Saturday night.
Oklahoma City improved to 42-18 to take a half-game lead over rival Minnesota and its rival. Denver nuggets in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The Thunder had won six straight games before losing Thursday night at San Antonio Spurs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander there were 35 points for the Thunder, and all five of Oklahoma City’s starters scored in double figures. Jalen Williams increased by 22 points, Chet Holmgren 14, Luguentz Dort 13 and Josh Giddey 10. Gilgeous-Alexander also had 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
Bradley Beal scored 31 points for Phoenix (35-26). Eliminated on Saturday night for an altercation with Houston Green Jalen, Beal played 33 minutes in his second game back after straining his hamstring. Durant added 20 points and Eric Gordon scored 15 goals after missing 3 matches due to a groin injury.
Vogel said before Sunday’s contest that Booker’s ankle was still being evaluated and that the team would have more information on Tuesday.
Phoenix initially escaped Booker’s absence, jumping out to a 17-4 lead. But the Thunder scored the next 10 points and ended the first quarter on a 24-7 run to take a 28-22 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander has 10 points in this period.
Nurkic played seven minutes in the first quarter and had 12 rebounds – but the Suns recorded just one rebound the rest of the half after he went to the bench to rest.
“He’s a big guy. He works hard out there. He competes. He tries to get every single rebound,” Beal said of Nurkic. “I think that just says a lot; he is undoubtedly the best rebounder in the league. The ability to use his size, freeing up space.
“[I] Hats off to him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, second behind Dallas Mavericks‘ Luka Doncic with a scoring average of 31.4 entering Sunday’s game, there were 18 points in the first half as the Thunder led 66-52 at intermission. Beal scored 17 goals to lead the Suns.
Oklahoma City went up as much as 24 before the Suns came back to cut it to 86-83 late in the third quarter. Gordon’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter made it 91-89, the Suns’ first lead since the first quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
