Thunder up 2-0

Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 120-107 on Wednesday night, giving the Thunder a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series. (apnews.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 37 points and nine assists at Paycom Center, where the Thunder followed a 119-84 Game 1 win with a tighter Game 2 result. (apnews.com) The series now shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, with the Suns trailing 0-2 in a best-of-seven matchup. (cardswire.usatoday.com) Oklahoma City entered the postseason as the defending NBA champion, and the first two games have put Phoenix in an early hole against a team that has now opened the series with wins by 35 and 13 points. (seahawkswire.usatoday.com) Game 2 also fit a first round that has already produced several early swings across the bracket, with other series around the league seeing road teams grab split results and reset home-court advantage. (espn.com) Phoenix opened the series after finishing the regular season as Oklahoma City’s opponent in the West bracket, but the Suns have spent two games chasing Gilgeous-Alexander and an Oklahoma City offense that again cleared 120 points. (espn.com) The Thunder were up 30-29 after one quarter in Game 2, then pushed ahead 62-54 by halftime before closing out the 13-point win. (foxsports.com) Phoenix now goes home needing a response in Game 3, while Oklahoma City is one win from a 3-0 series edge that would put the Thunder on the brink of the second round. (nba.com)