Thunder go up 2‑0
- The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 120‑107 in Game 2 to take a 2‑0 playoff lead. (oklahoman.com) - Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander led the charge and has been singled out after a gritty Game 2 performance. (x.com) - The defending champs had to grind for the win, an early signal that matchup adjustments are shaping series narratives. (oklahoman.com)
Oklahoma City took a 2-0 first-round lead Wednesday night, beating Phoenix 120-107 behind 37 points and nine assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (apnews.com) The Thunder led 65-57 at halftime, stretched the margin to 100-77 after the third quarter, and held off a late Suns push at Paycom Center. Phoenix cut the deficit to 13 in the fourth before Oklahoma City closed it out. (usatoday.com) Gilgeous-Alexander shot 13-for-25 from the field and 7-for-7 at the line. Dillon Brooks scored 30 for Phoenix, and Devin Booker added 27 in a loss that sends the series to Arizona with the Suns down two games. (apnews.com) The result backed up Oklahoma City’s Game 1 blowout with a different kind of win. After opening the series with an 84-119 loss, Phoenix kept Game 2 tighter for stretches, but the Thunder still controlled the middle quarters and protected home court twice. (sports.yahoo.com, usatoday.com) That puts the pressure on Game 3 in Phoenix on Saturday, April 25. In the National Basketball Association’s best-of-seven format, teams that fall behind 0-2 have little margin left, especially after losing both games before the series shifts sites. (azcentral.com) Oklahoma City also had to finish without one of its top scorers for part of the night. Jalen Williams left in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury after missing a contested layup, adding another variable as the series moves forward. (msn.com) For now, the series belongs to Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, who have won the first two games by a combined 48 points and head to Phoenix with a 2-0 edge. (sports.yahoo.com, apnews.com)
