Thunder up 2-0
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a standout Game 2 performance that put the Oklahoma City Thunder up 2-0 in their series. (x.com) - The game pushed the Thunder into an early series lead, a key leverage point in a best-of-seven. (x.com) - Playoff coverage is noting Game 2s as where series identity forms, and the Thunder's result is now a major storyline. (bleacherreport.com)
Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 120-107 on Wednesday, April 22, behind 37 points and nine assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. (espn.com) Gilgeous-Alexander went 13-for-25 from the field after scoring 25 points in Game 1 on Sunday, April 19, when he shot 5-for-18. He was presented the NBA Clutch Player of the Year trophy before Game 2. (espn.com) Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams added 19 points each, and Oklahoma City forced 21 turnovers while shooting 47.3% from the field. The Thunder led 65-57 at halftime and stretched the margin to 100-77 by the end of the third quarter. (espn.com) The series is a No. 1 versus No. 8 matchup in the Western Conference, with Oklahoma City opening at home after a 64-18 regular season. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, in Phoenix. (nba.com) A 2-0 lead puts Oklahoma City in control of the travel turn in a best-of-seven, with the next two games shifting to the Suns’ floor. The Thunder are one of the few teams in this opening round to hold serve at home after several higher seeds dropped early home games. (nba.com; espn.com) The result also fits a pattern for this Oklahoma City core. NBA.com said the Thunder’s young core improved to 10-0 in first-round playoff games, with those wins coming by an average of 18.9 points. (nba.com) Phoenix got 30 points from Dillon Brooks before he fouled out, plus 22 from Devin Booker and 21 from Jalen Green, but never cut the deficit below 10 points in the final five minutes. Oklahoma City led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter. (espn.com) The one immediate concern for the Thunder is Williams’ health. He left in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury, and coach Mark Daigneault said after the game that the team would “take a look at it over the next couple of days.” (nba.com; espn.com) For now, the series turns on whether Phoenix can change the shape of it at home by Saturday afternoon. If not, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will head into Game 4 with a chance to finish the first round quickly. (nba.com; espn.com)
