The Phoenix Suns are looking for a challenge. And that’s exactly what’s waiting for them in the first knockout round of the 2025 NBA Cup. The Oklahoma City Thunder are casually cruising through the regular season with no championship hangover and are poised to break the curse that deems the midseason winners don’t win the championship. But they’re hosting the team that’s upending odds. The Suns are exuding some confidence, like they cracked the OKC code.

How & Where to watch Thunder vs Suns 2025 NBA Cup Quarterfinal

The Thunder holds a home-court advantage. They’ll be hosting the Suns at the Paycom Center for the first game of the NBA Cup knockout rounds. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 10. That’s 6:30 PM in Oklahoma and 4:30 PM in Arizona.

All NBA Cup games will stream live on Amazon Prime Video instead of traditional television broadcast networks.

What is the head-to-head record between OKC and Suns?

Historically, the Suns have won more games against the Thunder, with over 250 matchups. Their all-time record is 136 wins against the Thunder’s 124 wins (including when the Thunder was actually the Seattle Supersonics).

But the Suns have not defeated the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led OKC side since November 2023. They’re 7-0 against the Suns in the last two years, including the hard-fought 123-119 victory in their only matchup this season.

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The last five games between the two sides.

What Happened in the Last Meeting Between the Thunder and Suns?

The Suns and Thunder have only had one game this regular season on November 28. It was at Paycom Center. The Thunder won it and improved to 19-1, sparking chatter about whether they could break the Golden State Warriors’ record.

SGA had 37 points, 15 of which came in the final seven minutes of the game. Remarkably, this was one of the few games he played in the 4th and still held consistent double digits. He matched Wilt Chamberlain’s record for the second-longest scoring streak (126 games).

This was the deciding game that put the Thunder at 4-0 in the NBA Group Stage and sent them to the knockouts. But it was overshadowed by Jalen Williams’ return from wrist surgery, who gave 11 points and eight assists.

The Suns kept it very close, despite missing Grayson Allen, Ryan Dunn, and Jalen Green. They tied the score at 25 in the first quarter and trailed in the next two. OKC was called for 22 fouls, which brought Devin Booker to the free-throw line 11 times.

Collin Gillespie scored 24 points, Booker had 21 and eight rebounds, and Dillon Brooks had 19 points. A little mathematical upheaval in the other groups sent the Suns to the knockouts in this game as well. But there was more they took away from this loss.

OKC vs Suns Injury Report for NBA Cup Quarterfinal

Oklahoma City Thunder

OKC will be down two Isaiahs, Hartenstein with calf trouble and Joe with a knee injury. But the ins and outs of the injury list have not slowed OKC so far.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns have a little hopeful news. After missing the last two games from a right groin strain, Devin Booker has been upgraded to questionable. Jalen Green remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, along with Isaiah Livers.

OKC vs Suns Expected Lineup for NBA Cup Quarterfinal

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, and Alex Caruso are locked in for tomorrow’s game. All three had missed Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz because of injury. They’ve since been upgraded to available. Predicted lineup: SGA, Dort, (Jalen) Williams, Holmgren, (Jaylin) Williams.

Devin Booker has been talking about this game with confidence, indicating he’s back in the lineup. We can look forward to him and Dillon Brooks going into this grudge matchup. Predicted lineup: Booker, Allen, Brooks, O’Neale, Williams.

OKC vs Suns 2025 NBA Cup Quarterfinal Prediction – Who Will Win?

Given the pattern of the last two years, this is the Thunder’s game to win. There’s a strong chance they extend the streak to 16. They’ve been winning games with an average lead of 18.9 points. They’ve had only one win, which was by fewer than eight points, and that was against an undermanned Suns squad.

Booker claims that the previous game against the defending champions taught him plenty.

“The secret is out,” he said ahead of their rematch. “They do speed you up. They play aggressive. They’ll grab, they’ll hold, but it’s never like when you’re in a shooting position. It’s always on the handle or on your drives when they get away with it … they have multiple defenders out there. They have their switching partners, guys that will get after it every time.”

Knowing the cheat code and using it are two different things, though. The Thunder just won a game without SGA, proving they can adapt their rotation to anything the Suns throw at them.

EssentiallySports’ prediction: The Thunder is going to advance to the semifinals in Vegas.