Thunder sweep Suns, third straight first‑round sweep

Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 131-122 on Monday night to finish a 4-0 first-round sweep and become the first Western team into Round 2. (espn.com) (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and Chet Holmgren added 24 as the Thunder closed the series at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center. (espn.com) (nba.com) Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Alex Caruso scored 14 off the bench for Oklahoma City. Phoenix got 27 points from Devin Booker in the loss. (nba.com) (gmanetwork.com) The sweep extended Oklahoma City’s first-round run over the last three postseasons to 12-0. ESPN’s recap said the Thunder have now posted three straight first-round sweeps. (espn.com) Game 4 was the highest-scoring game of the series for both teams. NBA.com said Oklahoma City shot 54% from the field, went 17-for-34 from 3-point range, and made 26 of 30 free throws. (nba.com) Phoenix had stayed competitive deeper into Game 4 than in the first three games, but Oklahoma City never lost control of the series after opening with wins of 119-84 and 120-107 at home. The Thunder then won 121-109 in Phoenix before closing it out Monday. (espn.com) (gmanetwork.com) The Thunder now wait for the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the Western Conference semifinals. The NBA playoff bracket lists Oklahoma City as the first team from the conference to advance. (nba.com) (espn.com) For Phoenix, the season ends after a 45-37 regular season and a four-game exit against the West’s top seed. For Oklahoma City, the opening round ended the same way it has for three straight years: quickly. (espn.com)