Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander delivered a 25‑point performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder opened their championship run with a dominant 119‑84 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the first game of the Western Conference first‑round series on Sunday. The league’s reigning MVP was efficient at the free‑throw line, sinking 15 of his 17 attempts, though he managed only five makes on 18 field‑goal tries before sitting out the final period.
Supporting the star guard, forward Jalen Williams contributed 22 points while rookie big man Chet Holmgren added 16, helping the top‑seeded Thunder secure a comfortable lead heading into Game 2, which will be played at home on Wednesday. For Phoenix, Devin Booker posted 23 points and Dillon Brooks added 18, but the Suns struggled with shooting, converting just 34.9 percent of their attempts.
The Suns jumped out to a 5‑0 advantage early, capitalizing on the Thunder’s sluggish start after a week off. Oklahoma City quickly found its rhythm, however, when Brooks was assessed a flagrant‑one foul for striking Holmgren in the face during the opening quarter. The incident seemed to fire up the Thunder, who responded with a 12‑2 run that swung the score to a 24‑14 lead. A highlight of the quarter came in the final seconds when Jaylin Williams launched a long pass that traveled roughly three‑quarters of the court.
Holmgren, with his back to the basket, caught the ball, took a single dribble to his right, turned, and released a three‑pointer that swished as the buzzer sounded, extending the lead to 35‑20. By halftime, Oklahoma City had stretched the margin to 65‑44.
Holmgren had already tallied 16 points, while Gilgeous‑Alexander added 15. The Thunder continued to dominate in the third quarter, with Gilgeous‑Alexander converting a three‑point play that pushed the lead to 90‑63. The momentum carried into the fourth, and the Thunder entered the final period with a 97‑66 advantage. In other playoff action, Boston’s Jayson Tatum recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his first postseason appearance since tearing his right Achilles tendon last season.
The Celtics dismantled the Philadelphia 76ers 123‑91 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first‑round series. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown contributed 26 points, and center Neemias Queta added 13 for the second‑seeded Boston squad. Tatum’s 21 first‑half points came in just his 17th game of the season following a May surgery to repair his Achilles. Boston never fell behind, building a 35‑point lead as head coach Joe Mazzulla rotated through 12 players.
The team knocked down 16 three‑pointers, and Game 2 is slated for Tuesday night in Boston. Brown summed up the performance, saying, “That was Celtics basketball. We’ve been the harder‑playing team all year.
That can’t change now that the playoffs have started.” For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey posted 21 points and eight assists despite the absence of Joel Embiid, who is still recovering from an appendectomy performed on April 9. The 2023 MVP’s return date remains uncertain. Paul George added 17 points for the Sixers, while V.J.
Edgecombe contributed 13. The 76ers shot a dismal 4‑of‑23 from beyond the arc. Maxey was heavily contested by Boston’s defense, which challenged 12 of his 14 attempts in the first half and limited him to 8‑of‑20 overall shooting.
Philadelphia’s 64‑46 halftime deficit was the team’s largest playoff shortfall against Boston since 1982. In San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama made a historic playoff debut, scoring 35 points as the Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 111‑98 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first‑round matchup. Wembanyama’s 21 points in the opening half set an NBA record for the most points scored in the first half of a playoff debut since the league began detailed play‑by‑play tracking in 1997. His total of 35 points also broke the Spurs’ franchise record for a playoff debut, surpassing Tim Duncan’s 32‑point effort in 1998.
Teammates Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox each added 17 points, and together they dished out 15 assists to keep the Spurs’ offense flowing. For Portland, Deni Avdija posted a double‑double with 30 points and 10 rebounds, after the Blazers secured the seventh seed by beating Phoenix 114‑110 in a play‑in game.
Rookie Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft behind Wembanyama and Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, contributed 18 points.
Game 2 will be played Tuesday night in San Antonio, after which the series shifts to Portland for Games 3 and 4. The Spurs enjoyed a sell‑out crowd at the Frost Bank Center, with former champions Tim Duncan and Hall of Famer David Robinson seated courtside together, marking the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2019.
The Spurs had endured a six‑year postseason drought following a stretch of five championships and 22 consecutive playoff berths, the longest streak in league history. Overall, the opening night of the 2026 NBA playoffs delivered a mix of dominant performances, historic individual feats, and the continuation of storylines that have defined the season. Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sports, with the next matchup featuring the Toronto Raptors against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sky Sports+ at 11 p.m.
on Monday.