Thunder Open Title Defense With 119-84 Rout of Suns

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April 19, 2026

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The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their title defense with a 119-84 rout of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points for the top-seeded Thunder in Game 1. The Thunder held the Phoenix Suns to 34.9 percent shooting in Game 1. Oklahoma City led 65-44 at halftime and 97-66 after three quarters.

Holmgren and Williams Padded the Thunder Lead

Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 for Oklahoma City. Holmgren drained a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to put the Thunder up 35-20. Jaylin Williams threw the three-quarter court pass that set up the Holmgren make. Nine Oklahoma City players logged at least 13 minutes in the rout.

Devin Booker led the Phoenix Suns with 23 points in the Game 1 loss. Dillon Brooks scored 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting for Phoenix. Jalen Green added 17 points after scoring 35 and 36 in Phoenix’s two play-in games. Brooks drew a flagrant-1 foul in the first quarter for hitting Chet Holmgren in the face.

Gilgeous-Alexander converted 15 of 17 free throws across three quarters. The reigning MVP sat out the fourth quarter with the game decided. Oklahoma City hosts Phoenix for Game 2 at Paycom Center on Wednesday.