OKC up 2-0
- The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns to take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC in Game 2, flipping momentum in a tense road matchup. - The victory adds to a postseason pattern of lower seeds stealing road games, increasing early-series volatility. ( )
Oklahoma City left home with a 2-0 series lead after beating Phoenix 120-107 in Game 2 on Wednesday, April 22. (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and handed out nine assists after shooting 13-for-25 from the field. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams added 19 points each for the Thunder. (apnews.com) Oklahoma City led 65-57 at halftime and stretched the margin with a 35-point third quarter. The Thunder shot 47.3% from the field and forced 21 Phoenix turnovers. (nba.com, apnews.com) Phoenix got 30 points from Dillon Brooks before he fouled out in the fourth quarter. Devin Booker scored 22, and Jalen Green added 21 in a loss that sends the series to Arizona. (apnews.com) The Suns reached this matchup through the play-in tournament, beating Golden State on April 17 to claim the No. 8 seed. Oklahoma City entered the bracket as the West’s No. 1 seed after a 64-18 regular season. (espn.com, espn.com) Early in the first round, several higher seeds already dropped home games, including Detroit, Boston, New York, San Antonio and Denver before Wednesday’s slate. Oklahoma City avoided joining that group by holding serve in both home games. (apnews.com) There was one new concern for the Thunder: Williams left in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and did not return. AP reported that Williams had already missed 30 games this season with a right hamstring injury after also missing the first 19 games following right wrist surgery. (apnews.com) The series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, with Oklahoma City now two wins from the second round. (nba.com)
