Thunder sweep Suns in 4 games

Oklahoma City ended Phoenix's season Monday night, beating the Suns 131-122 in Game 4 to complete a first-round sweep. (espn.com) (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Chet Holmgren added 24, and the Thunder put six players in double figures in the closeout win in Phoenix. (espn.com) (nba.com) The final margin was nine points, but Oklahoma City led 75-67 at halftime after scoring 37 points in the first quarter and 38 in the second. (espn.com) Phoenix got 27 points from Devin Booker and 24 from Dillon Brooks, but the Suns never cut deeply enough into the Thunder's early offensive burst. (espn.com) (usatoday.com) The sweep kept intact Oklahoma City's push to defend the title after a 64-18 regular season that earned the Thunder the West's No. 1 seed. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.8 points and 8.0 assists across the four games, and Oklahoma City won every game of the series by at least nine points. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Game 3 set the tone for the finish when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting in a 121-109 win that pushed Phoenix to the brink. (espn.com) The Thunder now advance to the Western Conference semifinals, with the rest of the bracket still sorting out around them. (nba.com)