The Oklahoma City Thunder commenced their title defense with a resounding 119-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 25 points, while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren added 22 and 16 points, respectively. The top-seeded Thunder will host Game 2 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Devin Booker scored 23 points and Dillon Brooks added 18 for the Suns, who struggled with a 34.9% field goal percentage.
In other NBA playoff action, Jayson Tatum made a strong return from injury, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Boston Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91. The Celtics, who never trailed, built a 35-point lead and connected on 16 three-pointers. Victor Wembanyama also made a memorable playoff debut, scoring 35 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Wembanyama's 21 first-half points set an NBA record for the most in the opening half of a playoff debut since 1997.