Thunder sweep Suns, 4-0 clinch

Oklahoma City closed out Phoenix 131-122 on April 27, finishing a 4-0 first-round sweep and moving into the Western Conference semifinals. (espn.com) (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and Chet Holmgren added 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder in Game 4 at Mortgage Matchup Center. (espn.com) (oklahoman.com) Alex Caruso scored 14 points off the bench and made 4 of 6 three-pointers, while Oklahoma City hit 17 of 34 from deep as a team. (oklahoman.com) (espn.com) Phoenix kept pace for stretches and shot 53% overall, but the Suns trailed most of the night and never erased Oklahoma City's control. (espn.com) (nba.com) The sweep came with Jalen Williams out injured, a test the Thunder answered with Holmgren's interior scoring and a deeper bench rotation. (oklahoman.com) (nba.com) Oklahoma City is now 12-0 in first-round playoff games over the last three seasons, a run that underlines how cleanly the top seed handled an eighth-seeded Phoenix team. (clickorlando.com) (nba.com) The Thunder will face the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the next round; as of April 28, the Lakers held a 3-1 lead despite Houston winning Game 4. (clickorlando.com) For Phoenix, the season ended at home after losses of 119-84, 120-107, 121-109 and 131-122 in a series that Oklahoma City controlled from the opener. (nba.com)