Thunder up 2-0

Oklahoma City held home court again on April 22, beating Phoenix 120-107 at Paycom Center to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series. (apnews.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and added nine assists, leading a Thunder offense that shot 43-for-91 from the field and 14-for-40 from 3-point range. (apnews.com) (nba.com) Phoenix stayed close for a half, trailing 65-57 at the break, before Oklahoma City opened the third quarter and pushed its lead as high as 26. The Thunder outscored the Suns 35-20 in the third. (espn.com) (oklahoman.com) The Suns gave themselves little margin with 22 turnovers, while Oklahoma City finished with 14 steals and turned those mistakes into a cleaner, faster game. Phoenix also led the rebounding 44-40, but that edge did not offset the extra possessions it gave away. (espn.com) (nba.com) This is a sharper version of the pressure Phoenix faced after Game 1, when Oklahoma City won by 35 points. Two losses in Oklahoma City mean the Suns now head home needing to protect their floor starting with Game 3 on April 25. (nba.com) (azcentral.com) Oklahoma City entered the postseason as the West’s No. 1 seed after a 64-18 regular season. Phoenix arrived as the Pacific Division runner-up at 45-37 and now has to solve a Thunder defense that forced 21 turnovers in Game 2 after controlling Game 1. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The Thunder also got 19 points from Chet Holmgren and 19 from Jalen Williams, though Williams left with a hamstring injury, according to local coverage. Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 rebounds in 22 minutes. (nba.com) (oklahoman.com) Phoenix had 30 points from Dillon Brooks and 22 from Devin Booker, but no Sun scored more than seven points in the third quarter swing that decided the game. The series now moves to Arizona with Oklahoma City two wins from advancing. (nba.com) (espn.com)