Game Recap: Suns outmatched again as season ends in sweep, 131-122

The first-round series between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder is finally over. Oklahoma City is a machine that barely broke a sweat to take care of business against one of the better “feel-good” stories of the year in the Suns.

The Suns fought hard and shot the ball well, but their defense and inability to rebound and take care of the basketball cost them again. It was the same old story.

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It was a quiet first half for Devin Booker, with the Thunder defense draped on him again; he struggled to get anything going. Dort and Caruso had him in jail in the opening half, holding him to just 2 points. He poured in 22 in the second half, but it was too little too late. Booker, Green, Brooks, and Gillespie all had 20+ points in a balanced scoring attack for the Suns, but the defense just couldn’t get enough stops to make it a game.

Shai had 31 points, and the Thunder had 6 players in double figures and shot 53% from the field.

Game Flow

First Half

The teams traded buckets early on, with Phoenix showing signs of life on offense. The ball movement was crisp, and they were generating several clean looks.

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Then a pair of threes from Collin Gillespie and Dillon Brooks gave them a four-point lead, 17-13. That led to an OKC timeout to regroup. As one would expect, the Thunder responded, and the game quickly tied back up.

A 7-0 run after a Cason Wallace three led to a Suns timeout as OKC took a 3-point lead. An Alex Caruso three made it a 10-0 run to push the Thunder’s lead to six, 27-21.

Collin Gillespie continued to hunt for his shot offensively, pouring in 11 points in the first 9 minutes and 15 seconds. Alex Caruso was killing the Suns with a steal, deflection, and three triples in the quarter, making an impact off the bench.

Phoenix trailed 37-33 after the opening quarter. They closed out the quarter on a 7-0 push, capped off by a deep Grasyon Allen three right before the clock expired.

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Despite the Thunder getting plenty of production from Caruso and Chet, Phoenix’s shooting kept them in it. Grayson Allen was providing an offensive punch off the bench, getting to the…

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Publish date : 2026-04-28 04:18:00

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