Thunder take 2–0 lead

Oklahoma City moved within two wins of the second round Wednesday night, beating Phoenix 120-107 for a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. (apnews.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and handed out nine assists, while Chet Holmgren added 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in Game 2 at Paycom Center. Jalen Williams scored 19 before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent left hamstring injury. (apnews.com) (nba.com) Oklahoma City had already won Game 1 by 35 points, 119-84, and now takes the series to Phoenix with two double-digit victories. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) The matchup looked lopsided on paper before the series started. The Thunder finished 64-18, the best record in the Western Conference, while the Suns earned the No. 8 seed after coming through the play-in tournament. (espn.com) (olympics.com) Phoenix reached the bracket by beating Golden State 111-96 on April 17 after losing to Portland 114-110 in its first play-in game on April 14. That made the Suns the last team into the West field, not a team expected to control a series against the defending champions. (olympics.com) Instead, the early question in this series has shifted to Oklahoma City’s health. NBA.com reported that coach Mark Daigneault gave no prognosis after Williams grabbed his left hamstring, and Williams had already missed 49 games this season. (nba.com) Even with that concern, Oklahoma City’s recent first-round record has been overwhelming. NBA.com said the Thunder’s young core improved to 10-0 in first-round playoff games, with those wins coming by an average margin of 18.9 points. (nba.com) The series now shifts to Phoenix, where the Suns need a home response Saturday to avoid a 3-0 hole that would leave the Thunder one win from closing out another first-round matchup. (nba.com)