Thunder steamrolled Suns
- Oklahoma City opened the playoffs by building a runaway lead and effectively putting Phoenix away by halftime. - The Thunder led by 21 at the break after forcing 10 Suns turnovers and scoring 21 points off those miscues. - ESPN noted OKC entered as a 14.5-point favorite and that this was the weekend's largest halftime lead (espn.com).
Oklahoma City opened its playoff run by flattening Phoenix 119-84 on Sunday, seizing a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series. (nba.com) The Thunder led 65-44 at halftime at Paycom Center after forcing 10 first-half turnovers and turning them into 21 points. Phoenix finished with 19 turnovers, and Oklahoma City led by as many as 39. (espn.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points in 29 minutes, while Oklahoma City got 28 assists, 54 rebounds and 13 steals in a game it controlled for 91% of the clock. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points. (espn.com) The Thunder entered as the No. 1 seed in the West after a 64-18 regular season, and Phoenix arrived as the No. 8 seed at 45-37. ESPN noted Oklahoma City was a 14.5-point favorite and that its 21-point halftime edge was the largest of the opening playoff weekend. (espn.com) This is Oklahoma City’s first postseason game since winning the 2025 National Basketball Association title, and Game 1 looked like a continuation of that formula: pressure the ball, force mistakes and run. The Thunder scored 18 fast-break points and 52 points in the paint. (espn.com) Phoenix never recovered once the game tilted early. The Suns shot 35% from the field, managed two fast-break points, and were outscored 34-2 off turnovers. (espn.com) The series moves to Game 2 on Wednesday, April 22, in Oklahoma City before shifting to Phoenix for Game 3 on Saturday, April 25. Oklahoma City’s opener left Phoenix chasing both the series and the pace the Thunder set from the first quarter. (nba.com)
