Phoenix Suns Sink NBA’s Best Oklahoma City Thunder; Detroit Pistons Roll Past Cleveland

Last Updated:January 05, 2026, 11:51 IST

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker hit a last-second three-pointer to beat Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105, ending their four-match NBA winning streak.

Devin Booker celebrates with forward Dillon Brooks after hitting the winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder (Picture credit: AP)

Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker nailed a match-winning three-pointer in the final second, propelling his team to a 108-105 win against the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, January 4.

The Suns overcame an early 18-point deficit to avenge their franchise’s worst defeat — a 138-89 loss to the league-leading Thunder in last month’s NBA Cup quarter-finals.

Booker scored 24 points and contributed nine assists, while Dillon Brooks added 22 points for Phoenix. Jordan Goodwin delivered a career-high 26 points off the bench.

Brooks hit a three-pointer over his Canada teammate and Oklahoma City’s reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with 36 seconds left, giving Phoenix a 105-101 lead.

However, Oklahoma City tied it at 105-105 with 8.2 seconds remaining before Booker scored the decisive basket.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25 points, and Jalen Williams added 23, but the Suns ended Oklahoma City’s four-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, the Thunder’s 30-6 record remains the best in the league. Meanwhile, Detroit extended their Eastern Conference lead with a 114-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, moving the Pistons to 26-9.

Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and reserve Daniss Jenkins added 25, including 21 points in a spectacular second quarter for Detroit.

Star guard Cunningham also contributed six rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a blocked shot, helping the Pistons overcome the injury absences of key players Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, and Caris LeVert.

Jenkins stole the show in the second quarter, making all seven of his shots, including six three-pointers.

“My teammates were just finding me and I was open," said Jenkins, who is playing on a two-way contract. “I was given space, and the key to the game was (if) you’ve got an open shot, you’ve got to shoot."

The Cavaliers, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 30 points, reduced a 13-point deficit to two with 1:16 remaining and again to two with 3.8 seconds left. However, Jenkins sealed the win with two free throws.

The Cavaliers, considered contenders in the East at the season’s start, ended the day in eighth place in the standings after being overtaken by the Miami Heat, who defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-106.

The Los Angeles Lakers concluded the weekend with a 120-114 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Luka Doncic scored 36 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. LeBron James and Jake LaRavia each added 26 points for the Lakers, who erased a 16-point deficit and pulled away late in the game, despite the Grizzlies leading by one point with 5:29 remaining.

– Pacers drop 12th straight –

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers tied a team record for futility with their 12th straight loss, falling 135-127 to the Magic in Orlando.

The Pacers, a shadow of the team that reached last season’s NBA Finals, have been hit by a string of injuries since star Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the championship series.

Pacers forward Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 34 points, but the Magic, led by Desmond Bane’s 31 points, seized control with a 17-0 run in the second quarter and held on despite a late Pacers surge.

The Brooklyn Nets capitalised on Denver star Nikola Jokic’s absence to beat the Nuggets 127-115.

In their third game since Jokic’s injury, the Nuggets fell despite the return of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon from long injury absences.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 27 points and set a career high with 16 assists. Braun finished with three points in 24 minutes, while Gordon had 20 points in 21 minutes.

However, without three-time Most Valuable Player Jokic, it wasn’t enough, thanks largely to former Nugget Michael Porter Jr, who scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his first meeting with the Nuggets since being traded in July.

(With AFP Inputs)

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