Oklahoma City completes Suns sweep

Oklahoma City closed out Phoenix 131-122 on Monday night, finishing a 4-0 first-round sweep behind 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (espn.com) Chet Holmgren scored 24 points, and the Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the third straight year. (espn.com) (nba.com) Game 4 was the closest game of the series, but Oklahoma City pulled away with a 27-12 run to end the first half after Phoenix had stayed within striking distance. (nba.com) The Thunder shot 17-for-34 from 3-point range and 26-for-30 at the free-throw line, enough to overcome 17 turnovers and a 54-point night in the paint for the Suns. (espn.com) Phoenix entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed after a 45-37 regular season, and Oklahoma City arrived as the West’s No. 1 seed after going 64-18. (espn.com) The sweep also extended a pattern for Oklahoma City: the Thunder are now 12-0 in first-round games over the last three postseasons. (espn.com) Oklahoma City now waits for the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the second round. (espn.com) For Phoenix, the season ended at home at Mortgage Matchup Center after the Suns dropped all four games in the series by margins of 35, 13, 12 and 9 points. (nba.com)