Thunder beat Suns 120-107 to take 2-0 series lead

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a standout performance with 37 points and nine assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107 on Wednesday night, securing a 2-0 advantage in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

After scoring 25 points in the series opener on Sunday on 5-of-18 shooting, Gilgeous-Alexander responded strongly in Game 2, shooting 13-for-25 from the field, News.Az reports, citing AP.

His performance came after he was awarded the NBA Clutch Player of the Year trophy prior to tip-off.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each contributed 19 points for Oklahoma City. However, Williams exited in the third quarter due to a left hamstring injury and did not return. The 2024–25 All-Star has struggled with injuries throughout the season, missing 30 games with a right hamstring issue after also sitting out the first 19 games following wrist surgery.

The Thunder avoided the trend seen earlier in the playoffs, where five higher-seeded teams had already lost home games, including Eastern Conference leaders Detroit, Boston, and New York, as well as Western Conference contenders San Antonio and Denver. Oklahoma City maintained control by shooting 47.3 percent from the field and forcing 21 turnovers.

Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 30 points before fouling out late in the game. Devin Booker added 22 points, while Jalen Green chipped in 21. Phoenix will look to respond when they host Game 3 on Saturday.

Oklahoma City held a 65-57 lead at halftime, with Williams scoring 19 points on six consecutive made shots and Gilgeous-Alexander adding 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

Tensions rose early in the second half when Brooks and Lu Dort, both representing Canada internationally, were assessed double technical fouls following a brief altercation after a made free throw.

Holmgren helped extend the Thunder’s lead early in the second half, scoring eight points in just over four minutes to push the advantage to 77-63 and force a Suns timeout. Oklahoma City widened the gap to 100-77 by the end of the third quarter.

The Thunder stretched their lead to 26 points early in the fourth before Phoenix attempted a late comeback. Booker hit a pull-up jumper while drawing a foul but missed the free throw. He secured the rebound and converted a mid-range shot to cut the deficit to 110-97 with five minutes remaining. However, the Suns were unable to reduce the margin to fewer than 10 points for the rest of the game.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev