Thunder Lead Suns 2-0
- The Oklahoma City Thunder took a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series. (x.com) - Game 2 pushed Suns at Thunder action into the national primetime window on April 22, heightening series stakes. (jsonline.com) - Early Western Conference coverage shows higher seeds favored overall, but this matchup now has playoff momentum implications. (espn.com)
Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 120-107 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and handed out nine assists in Game 2 after scoring 25 points in Oklahoma City’s 119-84 Game 1 win on April 19. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Thunder led 65-57 at halftime, shot 47.3% from the field and forced 21 Phoenix turnovers in Game 2. Dillon Brooks scored 30 points for the Suns before fouling out, while Devin Booker added 22 and Jalen Green scored 21. (nba.com) The series opened as a No. 1 versus No. 8 matchup in the Western Conference, with Oklahoma City at home after earning the top seed for a third straight season. The Thunder are also defending NBA champions, which put this matchup in a different frame than a typical 1-versus-8 pairing. (nba.com) (apnews.com) That context made Game 2 more than a routine hold-serve game. Five higher-seeded teams had already lost home games in the first week of the playoffs before Oklahoma City avoided the same slip on Wednesday. (nba.com) Phoenix now goes home needing a turnaround after losing the first two games by a combined 48 points. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBC, with Game 4 set for Monday, April 27, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) The Thunder did take a hit in Game 2 when Jalen Williams left in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and did not return. NBA.com reported the injury during the game, and the AP recap said Williams had 19 points before exiting. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) For now, the series looks like Oklahoma City’s to control: the champs protected home court, their star guard found his scoring rhythm, and Phoenix heads back to Arizona down two games. (apnews.com)
