Thunder Crush Suns in Game 1 Blowout

Reigning NBA champions dominate Phoenix in series opener

Apr. 20, 2026 at 7:38am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the chaotic action of an NBA playoff game, with overlapping shapes and planes of bright, vibrant colors.The Thunder's dominant defensive performance and balanced scoring attack overwhelmed the Suns in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.Oklahoma City Today

The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 25 points, routed the Phoenix Suns 119-84 in Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The Thunder jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, with Jalen Williams scoring 22 points and Chet Holmgren adding 16. Devin Booker scored 23 for the Suns, who shot just 34.9% from the field.

Why it matters

The Thunder are looking to defend their NBA title, and this blowout win over the Suns sets the tone for the series. Phoenix will need to regroup quickly, as the quick turnaround from their play-in game win over the Warriors seemed to take a toll. Oklahoma City's depth and defensive intensity proved too much for the Suns in Game 1.

The details

The Thunder jumped out to a 24-14 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, extending their advantage to 65-44 by halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander struggled from the field but made 15 of 17 free throws, while Holmgren hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first quarter. The Thunder's defense stifled the Suns, who shot just 34.9% overall and got only 17 points from Jalen Green after his big play-in performances.

  • The game took place on the anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
  • The Thunder earned the top seed and had to wait through the play-in tournament to learn their first-round opponent.

The players

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The reigning NBA MVP scored 25 points for the Thunder, making 15 of 17 free throws.

Jalen Williams

The Thunder guard scored 22 points in the blowout win.

Chet Holmgren

The Thunder forward added 16 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first quarter.

Devin Booker

The Suns guard scored 23 points in the loss.

Jalen Green

The Suns guard, who had big games in the play-in tournament, was held to 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

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What they’re saying

“Everybody's a threat on their team. Obviously Shai's the head of the snake, but he creates a lot of opportunities and allows them to have a lot of space to play free. So we loaded up on Shai tonight, showed him a lot of bodies, and he was able to create a lot of opportunities for his teammates.”

— Devin Booker, Suns guard

“When you have something like that happen, time doesn't really heal it all the way. I think how hard we play and just how much we mean to the city and how much the city means to us, I think that bond brings everybody really close. You can kind of feel a little more sense of urgency and a little more want to win from the fans today, so we're happy to give that to them.”

— Jalen Williams, Thunder player

What’s next

The Thunder will host the Suns in Game 2 on Wednesday, giving Phoenix a couple days to regroup and try to even the series.

The takeaway

The Thunder's dominant Game 1 performance showed why they are the reigning NBA champions, with their depth, defense, and MVP-caliber play from Gilgeous-Alexander overwhelming the Suns. Phoenix will need to make major adjustments to have a chance in this series.