Holmgren’s Q1 Winner
- Thunder center Chet Holmgren hit a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter in Game 1, energizing Oklahoma City. (x.com) - The play came during a Thunder stretch where they held a 15-point lead at home. (x.com) - That early momentum helped define the game’s flow and highlighted Oklahoma City’s capacity to seize control quickly in playoff settings. (x.com)
Chet Holmgren ended the first quarter of Oklahoma City’s playoff opener with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, punctuating a 35-point quarter in a 119-84 Thunder win over Phoenix on April 19. (espn.com) The shot pushed the Thunder’s lead to 35-20 at Paycom Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series. ESPN’s game page listed the play as “Holmgren beats the buzzer with an OKC trey.” (espn.com) Phoenix opened the game on a 5-0 run before Oklahoma City flipped the quarter, and Sportsnet’s highlight clip showed Holmgren drilling a deep 3 at the horn to cap the surge. (sportsnet.ca) The sequence fit the shape of the night. Oklahoma City outscored Phoenix 35-20 in the first quarter, 30-24 in the second, and led 65-44 at halftime before winning by 35. (espn.com) That start mattered in part because the Thunder entered the postseason as the West’s No. 1 seed after going 64-18 in the regular season. Phoenix arrived as the No. 8 seed after finishing 45-37. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The game also opened Oklahoma City’s title defense. ESPN’s recap, via The Associated Press, said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points as the reigning champions began the playoffs with a rout. (espn.com) Holmgren finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, according to Heartland Sports’ game story, while his first-quarter make stood as the night’s cleanest snapshot of Oklahoma City’s early control. (heartland-sports.com) Game 2 is scheduled for April 22 in Oklahoma City, with NBA.com listing the Thunder ahead 1-0 in the series. Holmgren’s shot sent them there with the tone already set. (nba.com)
