Thunder sweep Suns, advance

Oklahoma City closed out Phoenix 131-122 on Monday, finishing a 4-0 first-round sweep and becoming the first Western Conference team to reach the semifinals. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 31 points and eight assists in Game 4 at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center. (nba.com) (usatoday.com) The Thunder took control before halftime with a 27-12 closing run to the second quarter, then carried the lead through the final two quarters. (nba.com) The series was lopsided from the start. Oklahoma City won Game 1 by 35 points, Game 2 by 13, Game 3 by 12 and Game 4 by nine. (nba.com) Across the four games, the Thunder averaged 122.8 points to Phoenix’s 105.5, while Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.8 points and 8.0 assists. (nba.com) The sweep sends Oklahoma City to the Western Conference semifinals for the third straight season, with extra rest while the rest of the bracket keeps playing. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) Phoenix entered as the No. 8 seed after a 45-37 regular season, while Oklahoma City came in as the No. 1 seed after going 64-18. (nba.com) By late Monday, the Thunder were the only Western team already through the first round, and their side of the bracket had changed first. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) For Phoenix, the season ended without a single win in the matchup after Oklahoma City also beat the Suns in all three regular-season meetings listed on the series page. (nba.com) For Oklahoma City, the first round ended the same way it started: with Gilgeous-Alexander in control and the Thunder moving on quickly. (nba.com)