Player grades: Thunder finish regular season with 135-103 loss to Suns

Q: What was the final score of the Thunder vs. Suns game on April 12, 2026?

The final score was 135-103 in favor of the Phoenix Suns.

Q: Why did the Thunder sit out their best players in the final game of the regular season?

The Thunder rested their nine best players as the game had no consequences for their playoff position.

Q: Who was the only longtime starter that played for the Thunder in the last game?

Lu Dort was the only longtime starter who played, participating to meet the 65-game requirement for the All-Defense Team.

Q: What does the Thunder's loss to the Suns mean for their playoff prospects?

The loss is seen as inconsequential, serving as a calm before the playoff storm for the reigning NBA champions.

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) drives around Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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.

Things got out of hand pretty quickly. The Thunder fell in a 26-5 deficit in the first eight minutes. Just some bad two-sided basketball. On offense, nobody could create their own look. They leaned on Nikola Topic's playmaking to generate looks. And on defense, Ryan Dunn bullied his way to the rim. The Suns put up some video-game-esque shooting splits.

Zapping any watchability of this game, the Suns scored 21 consecutive points in the first quarter. The Thunder were in a 37-19 deficit after the frame. It only got worse from there. Phoenix ripped off eight straight points during the second frame. While OKC looked better with 33 points, it still was a ways behind on the scoreboard.

The only highlights were Jared McCain's rare dunk and Chet Holmgren — fully suited up like Slenderman — hopping off the bench and using one of the ball boy's mops to poke out a wedged ball. Oh, Game 82 of the NBA regular season — you garden some fun and weird moments across the league.

The Thunder entered halftime in a 70-52 deficit. Let's be blunt — this game was over. Most OKC fans likely had their eyes glued to the Denver Nuggets' matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. That had much more dire effects on OKC's title odds. Especially since the former locked into the third seed and is on the opposite side of the playoff bracket from the reigning NBA champions. More on that later, though.

Coming out of the halftime break, it was much of the same story. Dort eventually checked out once he logged 20 minutes. And while Topic put up some pretty impressive tape, nobody else on the Thunder had anything really going. That was until Branden Carlson became an alley-oop threat.

The Thunder scored 25 points in the third quarter. They trailed 104-77 to the Suns. At one point, they were down by as many as 32 points. That will surely hurt OKC's point differential and net rating — for those who care about such miscellaneous activities.

In front of a quarter-filled OKC crowd, the Thunder played out the fourth quarter. They scored 26 points. The local broadcast reminisced on their final game. Thanks to the NBA's new partners, every playoff game will be shown on national TV. Before, Round 1 was also shown on local broadcasts. It was also the last game of the FanDuel Sports Network era.

The Thunder shot 43% from the field and went 18-of-46 (39.1%) from 3. They shot 3-of-9 on free throws. They had 32 assists on 41 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Topic finished with 18 points and 14 assists. Carlson had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort dropped 23 points with five outside jumpers. Kenrich Williams flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Meanwhile, the Suns shot 55% from the field and went 20-of-41 (48.8%) from 3. They shot 3-of-6 on free throws. They had 28 assists on 56 baskets. Seven Suns players scored double-digit points.

Jamaree Bouyea went off for 27 points and nine assists. Dunn had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Koby Brea had 20 points and five rebounds. Amir Coffey scored 17 points. Khaman Maluach tallied an 18-point and 14-rebound double-double. Rasheer Fleming had 16 points and six rebounds. Finally, CJ Huntley scored 10 points.

And just like that, the Thunder finish the 2025-26 regular season. Man, time sure does fly. This was a pretty forgettable game with literally zero stakes. At least Topic had a strong two games to finish his tumultuous rookie year that only started right before the All-Star break. He flashed his scoring and playmaking skills. Elsewhere, though, not much else. At least the two-way guys got serious minutes for their last game of the year.

And even though the Thunder were beaten up at home, they gotta be in a good mood with the regular-season finale. The Nuggets stole a game against the Spurs. Shoutout to Nikola Jokic's one-half of play and the rest of their squad. With their win, OKC will now only have to worry about one of those two teams in a potential Western Conference Finals. The plan is that the survivor will enter limping. You need as much luck as talent to win an NBA championship. The Thunder are off to a good start in that department.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Nikola Topic: A-plus

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) goes up for a basket beside Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Going full speed, Topic ran the full floor to get the Thunder going in the second half. His pass-fake fooled Maluach enough for him to go right at the basket. He muscled his way through the Suns' rookie contest for the running layup. Talk about finesse as the 20-year-old showed off his potential again.

Topic finished with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 14 assists and four rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 0-of-3 on free throws.

If you stomached through this whole game, Topic at least salvaged some of your time. Receiving another start, he showed why he was a lottery pick just two years ago. The Thunder ran their offense through him. Mostly out of both necessity and experimentation. He showed out as the primary ball-handler.

Bulldozing his way through Phoenix defenders, Topic showed his downhill ability. The 20-year-old attacks the paint with a full head of steam. There are no signs of hesitation or overthinking when the ball is in his hands. He had some difficult finishes that made your eyes pop out in excitement. He also showed off his range once again. A couple of outside jumpers displayed how fearless he is to let it fly — even if there's someone on his grill.

And then there's the playmaking. Oh, boy. Topic set an OKC rookie record for most assists in a single game. Familiar with his OKC Blue teammates, he orchestrated their offense. Whether it was dump-off passes near the rim or throwing up alley-oops or spraying it out to the perimeter. He got into a flow as their offensive engine. Mix that with some daring passes, and you heard plenty of folks audibly 'ooh' and 'aah' at his highlight reel.

Honestly, it was dope to see Topic play like this. He logged back-to-back point-assist double-doubles to finish his rookie season. Whenever the Thunder are asked about his journey and resilience, they gush nonstop. Hard to blame them, either. He was just going through chemotherapy five months ago. Now, he's playing entire NBA games. Still a feel-good story, the 20-year-old has also graduated into having real potential.

Branden Carlson: A-plus

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Branden Carlson (15) shoots a three point basket over Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Setting a screen for a curling Topic, Carlson quickly rolled to the basket. Left open at the dunker spot, the 26-year-old had no problem going up for the alley-oop connection. He left it all on the floor as he played his final game of the 2025-26 season.

Carlson finished with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds and one assist. He shot 5-of-10 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had five blocks and two steals.

One of the handful of plays that actually worked for the Thunder, they spammed Carlson's lob-catching ability. He didn't mind it, though. The seven-footer got up plenty of shot attempts. Eventually, he found a rhythm with 13 points in the fourth quarter. That included three outside jumpers.

As the sole center, Carlson was everybody's best friend. He helped his Thunder teammates notch easy assists. While he's categorized as a stretch big, he's shown a sneaky talent to get up there and throw the ball down through traffic for loud alley-oop plays. He's no prime DeAndre Jordan, but he has a large enough catch radius to warrant the attempts.

On defense, Carlson was a block machine. He's not as nimble or quick on his feet as Holmgren, but he can easily deny undersized players who dare to go at him. Putting up five blocks is one of those box-score stats that exemplify wacky NBA regular-season basketball in March and April.

Cool for Carlson to go all out and stuff the statsheet. He's been an awesome two-way player since he arrived at the Thunder last season. Perhaps a little too good for his spot. He helped them survive a plethora of injuries in their frontcourt. These last two games of playing nearly the entire 48 minutes were a nice treat for his work.

Payton Sandfort: A

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Payton Sandfort (14) shoots a three point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Camping at the left corner spot, Sandfort waved his hand up as soon as the ball touched the paint. He knows his bread and butter. The Thunder kept feeding him passes as he knocked down catch-and-shoot looks. Starting the season injured, this was a nice ribbon to tie up his first year.

Sandfort finished with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 5-of-9 from 3. He also had one steal.

Scoring possessions up for grabs, Sandfort took him a handful. The 23-year-old caught fire from the outside. The Thunder gladly fed him the ball while on his heater. He eventually mixed things up when he had a handful of floaters inside the paint. Good for him and the rest of the two-way players to get their moment in the sunshine.

Sandfort was the last player to join the Thunder this season. He was signed to a two-way deal in March. That only happened after he cleared some physical hurdles. He missed all of the offseason and the start of the G League season recovering from torn labrums on both of his shoulders. Brutal luck. Especially for somebody known for their outside shooting.

After overcoming that, the Thunder added Sandfort. He's seldom played. But he put up some serious minutes off the bench in these last two games of the regular season. Nice way for him to finish his rookie year after he had doubts about even making the NBA to begin with.

Jared McCain: C-minus

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) goes up for a basket between Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) and forward Rasheer Fleming (20) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Poking the ball out of Bouyea's pocket, McCain got ahead of the crowd. He ran full court as Topic flung the ball in his direction. The 22-year-old showed off some rare hops as he threw down an ultra-rare one-handed dunk in transition. You could see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams jump up and down in excitement.

McCain finished with nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had one steal.

Of the eight players who suited up, McCain has the second-best odds to get playoff minutes — sorry, Aaron Wiggins. It all depends on his jumper, though. If he can knock down outside looks, he could give the Thunder some big-time buckets. If not, it's difficult to keep him on the floor.

Playing in the regular-season finale, McCain's jumper didn't fall. But he made up for it with some difficult finishes in the packed paint. He checked out for the final time with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter. That alone should tell you what the Thunder think of his possible playoff impact.

We'll see what happens. Mostly running it back with the same group, he's the only newbie in OKC's playoff run this year. It'll also be his first playoff run — period. You never know how a role player reacts to those high-leverage environments. Good news is, the Thunder's back-to-back hopes won't really depend on him.