
The Phoenix Suns face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the last game of the NBA regular season, with both teams already secured in the playoffs. Expect bench players to dominate the game, making the matchup unpredictable.
Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.
It’s the last game of the NBA regular season, but it might look more like an NFL preseason game on Sunday night when the Phoenix Suns visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both teams are locked into their postseason spots and have nothing to play for. That means a lot of little-known bench players and G League call-ups will get most of the time.
Fully functional OKC would be heavy favorites, but bench against bench is a coin flip. That’s why my Suns vs. Thunder predictions and NBA picks take the Suns with a very generous moneyline price.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ruled 10 players out for Friday’s game, and the same 10 will be sitting tonight. That includes full-time starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Isaiah Hartenstein, as well as most of the rotation players on the bench.
The group sitting this weekend combined for 310 of OKC’s 400 starts through the first 80 games. The only starter to play Friday was Luguentz Dort, who played 20 minutes. The other seven players to see the floor combined for 23 starts this season.
The Phoenix Suns were planning to be more generous with playing their starters. Devin Booker and three rotation players sat on Friday, but, with the Suns locked into the Play-In on Tuesday, head coach Jordan Ott didn’t want rust to set in and planned on giving several key players minutes.
Then Grayson Allen went down with a hamstring injury during the game. That changed the plans significantly. Booker and Allen are out, joined by starters Royce O’Neal and Dillon Brooks. Most of the other key players are listed as questionable.
Both skeleton crews got hammered on Friday night — OKC by 20 at Denver, Phoenix by 28 at the Lakers. Sunday’s game will see Dort and a handful of unknowns for OKC against whichever Suns players listed as questionable put in limited time.
I think we can expect at least two or three of Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Jalen Green, Haywood Highsmith, and Mark Williams to log 20+ minutes. That should be an advantage for Phoenix.
Jared McCain was the only Thunder player to make half his shots in Friday’s loss. The eight Suns who took 5+ shots on Friday shot a combined 19-for-64, .297. The Hall of Fame won’t be asking for a tape of this game to demonstrate the game being played at its highest level, and neither team will be motivated to play up-tempo.
The Suns will be particularly thin in the backcourt, and Jalen Green has battled injuries all season and could use the day off. Jordan Goodwin is more likely to be the shooting guard who plays. He’s made multiple threes in 10 of the last 11 games he’s played and 3+ in back-to-back games.
Aaron Wiggins has made multiple threes four of the last five times he’s logged at least 15 minutes of playing time. He played 23 minutes on Friday. More importantly, he put up six threes. He should get the opportunity to shoot tonight.
Kenrich Williams had 12 rebounds in 31 minutes on Friday. He’ll likely be battling little-used Suns rookie Khaman Maluach in the paint on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Brandon Carlson dished out five in Friday’s game and will be the biggest scoring threat on the floor for most of the game. That should give him plenty of opportunities to find the open man. This is an easy addition.
The Thunder have gone Under their team total in 16 of their last 23 home games for +8.05 units and a 31% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Thunder.
| Location | Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK |
| Date | Sunday, April 12, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Suns+, FDSN Oklahoma |
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
The prediction favors the Suns, who are expected to perform well despite both teams fielding mostly bench players.
Both teams have already secured their playoff spots, leading to a focus on giving bench players and G League call-ups more playing time.
The game has no playoff implications since both teams are already locked into their postseason positions.
The Suns are offered a generous moneyline price, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the matchup with bench players on both sides.


LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil assures financial backing for the 2026 season amid funding concerns.

Guardiola warns title race ends if City loses to Arsenal this weekend
Iowa State introduces women's wrestling as its 18th varsity sport, with Alli St. John as head coach.
The American League standings show surprising leaders: the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, and Sacramento Athletics. Meanwhile, teams like the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are struggling at the bottom.
Cleveland Browns predicted to select Miami OT Francis Mauigoa with 6th pick
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.