Thunder take 2–0 lead
- The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 118–103 to go up 2–0 in their first‑round series. (nbcsports.com) - Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander scored 37 points on 13‑for‑25 shooting in Game 2. (nbcsports.com) - Full game highlights were posted within hours, underscoring this series' early momentum shift. (youtube.com)
Oklahoma City is heading to Phoenix with a 2-0 series lead after a 120-107 Game 2 win on Wednesday, April 22, behind 37 points and nine assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (apnews.com) The Thunder led 65-57 at halftime, won the third quarter 35-20, and built the cushion that carried them through a late Suns push at Paycom Center. (nba.com) Phoenix cut the margin to 13 with 25.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter after a 20-4 run, but Oklahoma City still finished with a second straight double-digit win in the series. (foxsports.com) Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 25 points in Game 1 and 37 in Game 2 as the top-seeded Thunder try to move quickly through the West first round. Oklahoma City won the opener 119-84 on April 20. (nba.com, espn.com.au) The matchup has turned sharply from the teams’ regular-season finale on April 12, when Phoenix beat Oklahoma City 135-103 in the same building. Ten days later, the Thunder opened the playoffs by beating the Suns by 35, then followed with a 13-point win. (basketball-reference.com, nba.com) The bracket now shifts to Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern in Phoenix, with the Suns trying to avoid a 3-0 deficit that would all but end the series. (nba.com) Full highlights were posted within hours of the final buzzer, and the early shape of the series is plain: Oklahoma City has scored 239 points in two games, and Phoenix has not yet found a way to slow Gilgeous-Alexander for four quarters. (youtube.com, nba.com)
