Thunder's halftime rout

Oklahoma City turned Game 1 into a rout by halftime, opening its first-round series with a 119-84 win over Phoenix on Sunday. (apnews.com) The Thunder led 65-44 at the break after Phoenix committed 10 first-half turnovers that became 21 Oklahoma City points, the biggest halftime margin in any playoff game on opening weekend. (espn.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points, Jalen Williams added 22, and Chet Holmgren had 16 after hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter. Oklahoma City pushed the lead from 35-20 after one quarter to 97-66 after three. (espn.com) Phoenix shot 34.9% from the field, turned the ball over 17 times, and was outscored 34-2 in points off turnovers. Devin Booker scored 23 points, and Dillon Brooks had 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting. (foxsports.com) The result fit the shape of the bracket’s first weekend. Boston beat Philadelphia 123-91 on Sunday, and Oklahoma City’s 21-point halftime edge stood as the largest break-time lead of the weekend’s eight Game 1s. (espn.com, espn.com) Oklahoma City entered the playoffs as the West’s No. 1 seed at 64-18 and as the defending NBA champion. Phoenix arrived as the No. 8 seed after a 45-37 regular season and now trails 1-0 in the series. (espn.com, nba.com) The early avalanche was familiar for the Thunder. ESPN noted Oklahoma City led by at least 20 points at halftime three times during its title run last postseason, and Sunday’s start looked like the same formula: pressure on defense, extra possessions, and a game tilted before the fourth quarter. (espn.com) Game 2 is in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, with the Thunder already holding the kind of opening punch that can reshape a series in one afternoon. (espn.com)