Thunder sweep Suns, advance

Oklahoma City closed out Phoenix 131-122 on Monday night, finishing a 4-0 first-round sweep and moving into the Western Conference semifinals. (espn.com) (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and handed out eight assists in Game 4, while Chet Holmgren added 24 points as six Thunder players finished in double figures. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The Thunder shot 54% from the field, went 17-for-34 from three-point range and 26-for-30 at the line. Phoenix got 24 points from Devin Booker in the loss. (nba.com) (espn.com) Game 4 was the closest game of the series, but Oklahoma City seized control with a 27-12 run to end the first half. The Thunder led 75-67 at the break and never gave the lead back. (nba.com) (espn.com) The sweep sends Oklahoma City to the West semifinals for the third straight year. It also extends a pattern under coach Mark Daigneault: the Thunder are now 12-0 in first-round games over the last three postseasons. (espn.com) Oklahoma City did it without a full roster for the closeout game. Jalen Williams missed his second straight game with a left hamstring strain, and Ajay Mitchell scored 22 points in his place. (espn.com) Across the four games, the Thunder scored 126.9 points per 100 possessions, their best offensive series of the last three postseasons, according to NBA.com. Phoenix entered the matchup with a top-10 defense and still had no answer for Oklahoma City's depth. (nba.com) Booker called the Suns' season a "steppingstone" after the loss and said the team had proved people wrong after being written off. He also called Gilgeous-Alexander "the MVP of the league" and said Oklahoma City's bench looked like "reinforcement, not subs." (espn.com) The Thunder now wait for the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series, with the Lakers leading 3-1 and Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday, April 29. (espn.com) (nba.com)