The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 25 points, dominated the Phoenix Suns 119-84 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Gilgeous-Alexander, despite making only five of 18 field goals, went 15 of 17 from the foul line before sitting out the fourth quarter. Jalen Williams added 22 points, and Chet Holmgren contributed 16 for the top-seeded Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
Devin Booker scored 23 points for the Suns, and Dillon Brooks added 18 on 6-of-22 shooting, as Phoenix struggled with 34.9% field goal shooting. The Thunder quickly overcame a cold start, fueled by a 12-2 surge after a flagrant-one foul call on Brooks for hitting Holmgren in the face. This led to a 24-14 lead, which they extended to 65-44 by halftime.
Holmgren had 16 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 at the break. The Thunder further pushed their lead to 90-63 late in the third quarter and entered the fourth with a 97-66 edge. In another matchup, Jayson Tatum made a strong return to the playoffs, scoring 25 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists as the Boston Celtics routed the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. Tatum, playing in his first playoff game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon last season, had 21 points in the first half.
The Celtics never trailed, building a 35-point lead, with coach Joe Mazzulla giving minutes to 12 players. They connected on 16 3-pointers, with Jaylen Brown scoring 26 points and Neemias Queta adding 13.
Tyrese Maxey had 21 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid as he recovers from an appendectomy. Victor Wembanyama also made history in his playoff debut, scoring 35 points as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 in Game One of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Wembanyama's 21 first-half points set an NBA record for the most in the opening half of a playoff debut since 1997, and his total points surpassed Tim Duncan's 32 in 1998 for the most in a Spurs playoff debut.