Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a commanding start to their championship defense, dropping 25 points in a 119-84 demolition of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference first‑round series on Sunday. The league’s reigning MVP was efficient at the free‑throw line, converting 15 of 17 attempts, even though he managed only five makes on 18 field‑goal tries before sitting out the final period.
Supporting him, Jalen Williams contributed a solid 22 points while rookie big man Chet Holmgren added 16, helping the top‑seeded Thunder build a lead that would prove insurmountable. The Suns, anchored by Devin Booker’s 23 points and Dillon Brooks’ 18, struggled to find rhythm, shooting a modest 34.9 percent from the floor.
Phoenix opened the game with a brief 5-0 surge, but the Thunder quickly turned the tide after a heated early exchange that saw Brooks receive a flagrant‑one foul for striking Holmgren in the face. Oklahoma City responded with a 12‑2 run, flipping the score to 24-14. A highlight of the first quarter came when Jaylin Williams launched a long pass that traveled roughly three‑quarters of the court.
Holmgren, positioned with his back to the basket, caught the ball, took a single dribble to his right, spun, and released a three‑pointer as the buzzer sounded, extending the lead to 35-20. By halftime, the Thunder had stretched the margin to 65-44, with Holmgren tallying 16 points and Gilgeous‑Alexander adding 15.
The second half saw the lead continue to widen; a three‑point play by Gilgeous‑Alexander pushed the advantage to 90-63 late in the third, and the Thunder entered the fourth quarter up 97-66. The game also featured a brief recap of other first‑round action. In the Eastern Conference, Jayson Tatum posted 25 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists as the Boston Celtics overwhelmed the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 in Game 1.
Despite playing only his 17th game of the season after undergoing Achilles surgery, Tatum’s performance was a key factor in Boston’s dominance. teammate Jaylen Brown added 26 points, while Neemias Queta contributed 13, and the Celtics never trailed, building a 35‑point cushion. Boston’s coach, Joe Mazzulla, rotated 12 players, and the team knocked down 16 three‑pointers.
For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey recorded 21 points and eight assists, but the 76ers missed their star center Joel Embiid, who is still recovering from an appendectomy performed on April 9. Paul George added 17 points for the Suns, and V.J. Edgecombe chipped in 13, though the team shot a dismal 4‑of‑23 from beyond the arc. Maxey was heavily contested by Boston’s defense, which pressured 12 of his 14 first‑half attempts and limited him to 8‑of‑20 overall shooting.
The half‑time deficit of 64-46 marked the largest playoff loss the 76ers had suffered against the Celtics since 1982. In another Western Conference matchup, San Antonio’s phenom Victor Wembanyama exploded for 35 points in his playoff debut, guiding the Spurs to a 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Wembanyama’s 21 points in the first half set a new NBA record for the most points scored in the opening half of a playoff debut since the league began detailed play‑by‑play tracking in 1997. His total also broke the Spurs’ franchise record for a playoff debut, surpassing Tim Duncan’s 32‑point effort in 1998.
The Spurs received strong support from the crowd at the Frost Bank Center, where legends Tim Duncan and David Robinson sat courtside. Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox each contributed 17 points and combined for 15 assists, while Portland’s Deni Avdija posted a double‑double with 30 points and 10 rebounds, having previously helped the Blazers secure the No. 7 seed by defeating Phoenix 114-110 in a play‑in game. Rookie Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, added 18 points for San Antonio.
Looking ahead, the Thunder will host Game 2 on Wednesday, the Celtics will return to Boston for Game 2 on Tuesday night, and the Spurs will welcome the Blazers for Game 2 on Tuesday before the series shifts back to Portland for Games 3 and 4. The NBA playoffs continue to deliver high‑stakes basketball, with each team vying for a chance to advance deeper into the postseason. Fans can catch all the live action on Sky Sports, which will also broadcast the upcoming Toronto Raptors versus Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Sky Sports+ starting at 11 p.m.
on Monday.