Nurkic irked by officials after setting Suns’ rebound record،
PHOENIX – Jusuf Nurkic broke the Suns' franchise record with 31 rebounds, the most in an NBA game in 13 years, but he didn't want to talk much about the feat after a 118-110 loss to the Thunder. 'Oklahoma City Sunday. night.
Nurkic and Phoenix coach Frank Vogel criticized some missed fouls after the Thunder escaped with the victory despite holding a 24-point lead.
I don't know, man, I'm just trying to do my role the best I can. But it's kind of really messed up when you have 13 offensive rebounds and 16 shots and then no free throws,” Nurkic said. “As hard as I work, and I feel [I’m] to be clogged like [much as] anyone in the league.
“And I'm not saying here – we lost the game, that's what it is – [but] It’s just that it’s not really common sense. At least one [free throw]. [To] You don’t even have one? But I know it happens. I'm not the first, and I won't be the last either, unfortunately.”
Vogel, in particular, focused on how often he thought Suns star Kevin Durant was fouled.
“We have to be better,” the coach said. “[But] I'll start by saying they fouled Kevin Durant all night. For him to have the ball and get picked off three, four, maybe even five times, and every time he tries to get open he gets held up, which is something I really want the league to look at. »
Vogel and Nurkic also noted the Suns' 22 turnovers. Oklahoma City had six.
“That’s where it starts, the turnover problem,” Vogel added. “We've had problems with that all year long. This team is No. 1 in the league in forced turnovers; we haven't handled their pressure and length well enough – and we haven't “We didn't recognize our length when we tried to touch the paint. . It was expensive.”
Nurkic also finished with 14 points, but he had five Phoenix turnovers.
“Another turnover problem,” he said. “We have 22? So I think we all agree in the locker room that this needs to change. We will see something different in the future.”
Nurkic's efforts off the boards resulted in the most rebounds of any player since Kevin Love had 31 in 2010, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
“Amazing,” Vogel said of Nurkic. “Loss aside, just look at a 31 rebound night, at any time in NBA history, [it] is just an incredible performance. The best in Phoenix Suns history. He’s a beast on the defensive end of the floor. »
On November 12, 2010, Love, while playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, finished with 31 points and 31 rebounds in a 112–103 victory against the New York Knicks. Nurkic was 16 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's great, but we lost the game.”
Nurkic eclipsed Phoenix's rebounding mark of 27 rebounds set by Tyson Chandler against the Atlanta Hawks in January 2016. Nurkic's previous career high was 23 for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Sacramento Kings in January 2019 The 7-footer had 22 earlier this season against the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns played Sunday without star guard Devin Booker after he sprained his right ankle late in a loss to the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Oklahoma City improved to 42-18 to take a half-game lead over rivals Minnesota and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. The Thunder had won six in a row before losing Thursday night at the San Antonio Spurs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points for the Thunder, and all five Oklahoma City starters scored in double figures. Jalen Williams scored 22 points, Chet Holmgren 14, Luguentz Dort 13 and Josh Giddey 10. Gilgeous-Alexander also had eight rebounds and nine assists.
Bradley Beal scored 31 points for Phoenix (35-26). Sent off Saturday night for a fight with Houston's Jalen Green, Beal played 33 minutes in his second game because of a hamstring strain. Durant added 20 points and Eric Gordon scored 15 after missing three games with a groin injury.
Vogel said before Sunday's game that Booker's ankle was still being evaluated and the team would have more information Tuesday.
Initially, Phoenix overcame Booker's absence, taking a 17-4 lead. But the Thunder scored the next 10 points and finished the first quarter on a 24-7 run to lead 28-22. Gilgeous-Alexander had 10 points in the period.
Nurkic played seven minutes in the first quarter and grabbed 12 rebounds – but the Suns recorded just one rebound for the rest of the quarter after going to the bench to take a breather.
“He's a big guy, man. He works his tail out there. He competes. He tries to get every rebound,” Beal said of Nurkic. “I think it says a lot; he's definitely the best rebounder in the league. His ability to use his size and free up space.
“[I] I take my hat off to him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, second to Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks with a 31.4 scoring average heading into Sunday's game, had 18 points in the first half as the Thunder led 66-52 at intermission. Beal scored 17 to lead the Suns.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 24 points before the Suns came back to cut the score to 86-83 late in the third quarter. Gordon's 3-point basket early in the fourth quarter made the score 91-89, the Suns' first lead since the first quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
