Thunder's stifling defense suffocates Suns' offense, paving the way for a dominant Game 1 victory and setting an assertive tone for the series.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Phoenix Suns for Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series and took care of business from start to finish, coming away with a blowout victory by a final score of 119-84. It was a convincing win for a team that is hoping to defend its title and become the first team in recent history to go back-to-back as NBA champions, and Sunday afternoon’s opening contest was further evidence that this team should be, and is, the favorite to win it all this season.
This was a game where defense really set the tone for the Thunder. Again, Phoenix scored only 84 points, and it was because the team’s top three scorers were wildly inefficient. Devin Booker had 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Jalen Green had 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Dillon Brooks had 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting. The Suns are a team that relies heavily on perimeter scoring and jump shooting in general, and Oklahoma City never let them get comfortable.
The Suns went 13-of-39 from beyond the arc, 33.3%, but they were not much better from two-point range, either, going 16-of-44, which is 36.4% from inside the arc. So it was a game in which the Thunder were able to flex their defensive muscles and get the victory, and on the other side of the ball, still put up 119 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not efficient by his standards. He did score 25 points, but it was on 5-of-18 shooting from the floor. He did knock down 15 free throws, which carried his scoring total. Jalen Williams had 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Chet Holmgren finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, and he did most of his damage in the first half. In fact, Holmgren had 13 points in the first quarter, and that is what gave the Thunder its early offense.
OKC did not shoot great overall, finishing at just 45.2% from the floor, but it did not matter because the Thunder controlled the game in so many other ways. Defensively, OKC dictated the tone from the opening tip, made Phoenix work for everything, and never allowed the Suns to find any real rhythm offensively. That is what made this performance so impressive. Oklahoma City didn’t need an offensive masterpiece to cruise to a 35-point win. The Thunder defended at a high level, forced tough shots, and showed exactly why they enter the postseason as the team to beat.
From here, the series will stay in Oklahoma City for Game 2 on Wednesday night, where the Thunder will look to take a 2-0 lead before the matchup shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 later in the week. If Sunday’s opener was any indication, Oklahoma City has already made it clear that it intends to stay in control of this series for as long as possible.