Field Level Media
28 Apr 2026, 10:10 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points and eight assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder finished off a four-game first-round playoff sweep with a 131-122 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Chet Holmgren added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Ajay Mitchell had 22 points and six assists as the top-seeded Thunder swept their opening Western Conference series for the third straight season.
Isaiah Hartenstein produced 18 points and 12 rebounds and Alex Caruso added 14 points off the bench for Oklahoma City. Mitchell and Caruso each made four 3-pointers for the Thunder, who will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in the second round.
Devin Booker scored 24 points and Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green added 23 apiece for the Suns, who were swept in the first round for the second straight playoff appearance, the other occurring in 2024. Phoenix has lost 10 consecutive playoff games dating back to 2023.
Collin Gillespie made six 3-pointers while scoring 20 points for the Suns.
The Thunder again played without Jalen Williams (hamstring), who was hurt in Game 2.
Oklahoma City shot 53.7% from the field, including 17 of 34 from 3-point range.
The Suns made 53.3% of their attempts and were 14 of 39 (35.9%) from behind the arc. Grayson Allen has 12 points for Phoenix.
Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander each buried treys in the final 35 seconds of the first half, and the Thunder held a 75-67 lead at the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 in the half for Oklahoma City, which made 61.4% of its shots in the opening two quarters. Gillespie made five 3-pointers and all six of his field-goal attempts while scoring 17 in the half. The Suns shot 59.5% over the first 24 minutes.
Oklahoma City's biggest lead in the opening half was 11. The Thunder matched that in the third quarter on Gilgeous-Alexander's three-point play with 7:26 remaining in the period.
Just over two minutes later, Holmgren drilled a 3-pointer to make it 95-80.
The Suns soon answered with eight straight points -- five from Booker, three from Brooks -- to move within 99-92 with 2:55 to go in the period.
The Thunder led 106-98 entering the fourth quarter, and Hartenstein converted a three-point play to start the final frame. Gilgeous-Alexander's layup made it 122-106 with 5:23 left as Oklahoma City finished off the sweep.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Herald Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Herald Globe.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: Firing squads may soon become a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite...
ZUYDCOOTE, France: A new multi-million-euro agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and France late last week, increasing police...
KATHMANDU, Nepal: A crevasse strewn with chunks of ice, including one towering block, has stranded hundreds of mountaineers at the...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 24 that he has received treatment for prostate cancer, sharing this news publicly...
Washington DC [US], April 26 (ANI): Deputy Director Matthew Quinn of the U.S. Secret Service Office of Communications said that the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: With the Justice Department closing its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, U.S. Attorney Jeanine...
Stretford [UK], April 28 (ANI): Manchester United secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Brentford in their English Premier League (EPL)...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points and eight assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder...
(Photo credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images) Padres third baseman Manny Machado left San Diego's Monday game against the visiting Chicago...
(Photo credit: Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) A week after Lawrence Taylor was first hospitalized,...
(Photo credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images) Jose Fermin's two-run double with one out in the ninth inning capped a four-run rally as...
New Delhi [India], April 28 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Krunal Pandya heaped praise on Virat Kohli after the...
