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Thunder brilliantly dismantles Suns for 2-0 series lead
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- Thunder brilliantly dismantles Suns for 2-0 series lead
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a subpar performance in Game 1 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Phoenix Suns , 120-107, in Game 2 of their first-round matchup in the playoffs at Paycom Center on Wednesday.
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Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting. He added five rebounds and nine assists, as the Thunder took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven clash.
The reigning MVP had 25 points in Game 1, but only went 5-of-18 from the field.
The Thunder outscored the Suns, 35-20, in the third quarter to break away . They forced Phoenix to 22 turnovers, which they converted to 22 points.
OKC led by as much as 26 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had plenty of support , with Chet Holmgren tallying 19 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks and Jalen Williams adding 19 points and four assists.
Williams, however, exited the game in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury and did not return.
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The defense was phenomenal, with Williams, Holmgren, Alex Caruso , Lu Dort, and Cason Wallace making everything difficult for the Suns.
Phoenix mounted a rally in the fourth quarter, led by Dillon Brooks . The Thunder, however, stayed composed and fended off the Suns, who continue to scour for offense outside of Brooks, Devin Booker , and Jalen Green .
Before the game, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault cautioned about the “unpredictability” in the playoffs , stressing that they cannot make any assumption about the opponent and be overconfident.
They checked all the boxes on Wednesday, dismantling the Suns and further proving why they are the defending champions.
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Game 3 is in Phoenix on Saturday.
Related: How Suns can extend Thunder playoff series by stealing Game 3 after controversial Game 2
Related: Jalen Williams’ injury has Oklahoma City fans nervous, but Thunder are still NBA Finals favorites
