Thunder win Game 1 against Phoenix Suns in first round of Western Conference playoffs

Thunder win Game 1 against Phoenix Suns in first round of Western Conference playoffs

119 to 84. Oklahoma City wins game one against the Phoenix Suns. Welcome into the postgame show. I’m Brian Keating alongside Dylan Buckingham. Here we go again for Oklahoma City. Um, game one, big favorite. Dylan, I think if you had any question, and I’m not saying many people did, but if you had any question about how, how Oklahoma City was gonna attack this postseason, I think they answered that very emphatically tonight. And you know what’s wild? Shay Gillis Alexander didn’t have his best game in an Oklahoma City uniform, but yet the Thunder still win by *** crazy absurd amount tonight. It was the other guys I thought that really stepped up as well. I, I totally agree with that. We’ll get into all of that. We’ll take you into the locker room. We’ll have some postgame from head coach Mark Dagn. We’ll see if we can’t hear from Shay Gildes Alexander, but what *** game one for Oklahoma City. Plenty of highlights to get to in this. Game one against the Phoenix Suns, roll the highlights. Let’s get to it on *** big afternoon for OKC. And you know what, Dylan, I think you made *** great point. I think it was *** whole lot of people. You know, I think when people begin to try to guard this team, you think if we can just take SGA out, then we’ve got *** chance to stay in the ballgame. I think today said, nope, we’ve got *** lot of guys who can get things done. Isaiah Hartenstein did it on both ends. I thought Jalen Williams was terrific this afternoon. Absolutely outstanding. This is what *** healthy JWub does and really *** healthy Oklahoma City team does in the playoffs like this. We talked about it last week, Brian. I mean, *** little bit different from the Phoenix game we saw to wrap up the regular season, and they did it on both ends, you know, it’s, it’s not just the transition game. It’s not just in the half court. I thought. Defensively they were terrific and then this was kind of one of those statement plays. Chet Holmgren had 13 points in the first quarter, really came out ready to go. This building was electric. I thought it was great to hear and feel the anxiety of *** playoff environment here in Oklahoma City. Thunder up 15 after 1. They just kept piling on again, defense to offense, Dylan. Yes, we kind of joked during this game that Chet was halfway to his career high in the playoffs with 26 points with 13 after 1 with that big 3 there at the buzzer. But you know, I don’t know if he’s going to play long enough to get 226 points in this game. He was outstanding. The Thunder put it together in this thing defensively. I mean, they had an answer every single time the Suns tried to do something. It was just *** mess and the Thunder did not make it easy. No, they were all over Dylan Booker or, uh, Devin Booker, excuse me. Dylan Brooks had some moments, had the flagrant foul in the first half, but Oklahoma City on both ends. Again, Jalen Williams, this one, you go, oh my goodness, that looks like the Jalen Williams that got 40 in the finals. Season ago. The Thunder did everything right. They’re going to win this in blowout fashion, up and down, 119 to 84. They did *** little bit of everything in this one, and I think you made *** great point. It’s not like offensively, they just did everything right, you know, 45% field goal shooting. The big number obviously 52 points in the paint, and then the turnovers. Defense to offense, that is an OKC staple, and I think they made *** statement this afternoon. I know, and I thought it was really bold by Phoenix to try and go smaller against Oklahoma City with taking out Isaiah Hardenstein, not having him play nearly as much even though he was great on both ends of the floor. But whenever you start talking about this idea that they were going to try and do that, I mean, you have *** stretch 5 or 4 and Chet Holmgren. That can still hit shots and make you look silly out there. I thought it was bold they tried that. It didn’t work out in their favor. They did make it hard on SGA, but they still were able to get to it and attack the basket in the paint, and that’s what OKC does so dangerously well. So I’m gonna ask you this question now. Look, Oklahoma City won going away today. You picked the Thunder to win in *** sweep. Does today? And what happened in game one, does, does anything change as far as the way you looked at this series coming into it? Nothing changes for me with the way I thought Oklahoma City would handle business against Phoenix in this series. I think we’re gonna see another similar type game. I don’t know if I’m gonna pick the same sort of score that we saw today in *** blowout fashion, but I think Phoenix can answer this call. *** little bit in game 3, tired of getting punched in the face *** little bit in Oklahoma City, as you mentioned, this crowd was absolutely outstanding today. So I think that’s gonna be one of those things where they might lick their wounds, maybe roll over *** little bit, but still have *** big Thunder win in Game 2, and we’ll see what Game 3 looks like when it goes back to Phoenix. We’ll talk more about Game 2 here coming up. I want to go and talk about the player of the game here because I think it’s easy to say, oh, SGA who’s the scoring leader. I want to go *** different direction today, and I think our player of the game should be Jalen Williams. Jay Dub in *** supporting role. And this is the J Dub that we became accustomed to so much in the postseason last year, right? Jalen Williams did *** little bit of everything. He can take you off the bounce. He had the early 3 that I thought got him going *** little bit, but J Dub finished with. 22 points. He had 7 rebounds, 6 assists. He also had *** steal and *** block. I mean, you talk about filling up the stat sheet. That is what he does. I thought that today was kind of the perfect encapsulation of what *** Jalen Williams game was like, *** little bit of everything, *** sup *** supporting punch scoring, but defensively, he can do so many things. I just thought he was terrific. He was outstanding in every facet of this game as well. I know I’ve said that word *** bunch after this game, but what else do you say for Oklahoma City besides? It’s Outstanding. I loved watching him hit the 3, kind of get momentum in the first quarter when Oklahoma City had to kind of overcome some poor shooting early on in this thing. But after that though, he gets that steal breakaway dunk. Fans get recharged, and before you know it, all gas, no brakes for Oklahoma City. I hate to say it that way, but here you go. No, I, I think that’s right. Early in the game, Oklahoma City was trailing by 5, and then it’s 2 possessions in *** row. The Jalen Williams makes *** 3. He then gets *** steal. It’s *** wide open dunk. I thought. Totally got the Thunder going. Not that they didn’t come out ready to go or come out flat, but I just thought his energy early really set the tone, and I think that delivered for the rest of the game. The other thing I thought Oklahoma City was just outstanding, and we talked defensively. They made everything difficult for the Phoenix Suns, but where Phoenix didn’t have an answer, and I’m not sure it’s going to have an answer throughout the course of the rest of the series, I think the way that Oklahoma City can turn them over. Can force their ball handling to be an issue. OKC with their perimeter defenders is so good and so dynamic. I thought that really showed itself in game one this afternoon. Yeah, I thought there were stretches where Phoenix tried to go and attack the basket, tried to use their, their small size to attack, and Oklahoma City is so active with their hands that they were knocking balls loose. Before you know it, you get the breakouts that we saw from Isaiah Hardenstein, from Jalen Williams in this thing. I mean, It’s going to be *** very, very tough series for Phoenix in terms of them trying to just get something to go offensively because Oklahoma City is so active. They rotate so well. They’re able to get out on shooters. You’re not panicked when you watch Isaiah Hartenstein when he’s out there, get out on *** 3-point shooter. Same with Chet. I mean, it was fun to watch that go down today because even though they have *** lot of size, they have *** lot of perimeter guys that are bigs that can go make something happen. There’s no question about it. I think that stat that’s there on your screen, I think says *** lot. The Phoenix Suns had 19 turnovers. Oklahoma City only had 8. Talk about the difference in the way that I think Oklahoma City can handle the rest of this series. The ability to hold on to the ball, force turnovers on the other end. I just think that’s such *** weapon for OKC and we certainly saw that today in game 1 and *** big win for OKC. I want to go outside the Paycom Center. Um, we’ve got folks on the ground as the Thunder line out of the Paycom Center. We’ll go outside after *** big win in game one. Patrick. Yeah, Brian and Dylan, the environment is absolutely electric. We’ve been speaking with fans, you know, since they’ve been starting to come out, uh, you know, this game got out of hand early. You guys have been talking about it, but these fans are really excited and, you know, they’re. Excited to participate in the atmosphere that we continue to see year in and year out in the Oklahoma City Thunder playoffs, you know, they get all jazzed with the, with the shirts, with the noisemakers and everything like that, and they’re just excited that the playoffs are finally here in 2026. It was live. It was absolutely. I mean, so many people were in there. Everyone was super excited. It was electric. It was an incredible day. Awesome. What about you? What did you think of it? Pretty loud. So you can’t just, it’s indescribable. I mean we’ve got tons of people still, still piling out of the Paycom Center right now. They’re all walking back to their cars after the Thunder’s victory in game one of the series and you know the, the people. I’ve talked to over and over again are just really excited that playoff basketball is back here in Oklahoma City and the Thunder are off to *** great start as you guys have been talking about, but for now live in Oklahoma City, Patrick Talbot, KOCO 5 News. Patrick Talbot right outside the Paycom Center. That’s what we’ve got coming up. We’re waiting on the podium. Oh, Mark Dayna live. Let’s go to him. Can we go to Mark Dayna? Let’s do that. What worked well with just the coordination of your defense to ensure that they, um, didn’t get much down low and, and had to be *** jump shooting team tonight? Yeah, I mean, they’re *** good jump shooting team, so, uh, I would expect them to make, um, more of the open ones as we go through the series. I didn’t think they shot it great, um, tonight relative to how they normally do, but I did think we were on it, you know, we took *** lot of the easy stuff away, made them earn everything. And when you do that, you give yourself *** chance to have *** night like tonight where the jump shots don’t go in because they’re over *** contest. Uh, so I thought generally we were pretty good. Yeah. And then offensively against their pressure, you know, they’ve been one of the best turnover forcing teams in the league and, you know, may get to more of that, but you all were able to, to execute it and not be, uh, you know, not turn it over, not many live ball. Um, what was key there and just the precision on the offensive end? Yeah, I thought we were good execution, um, good force inside of the actions, good pace in an opportunistic way. Not reckless, um, and just executed in the half court, got ourselves advantages, made the right plays. I thought the unselfishness tonight really popped, um, and, and so, you know, we just bet on good shots, uh, and then played pretty well on that end as well. Mark, that, that lineup to start the second with Jay Will, J Dub, Cason, AJ, I Joe, that lineup hasn’t played *** ton this year, but it felt like the foundation of the lead was built on that lineup today. Like, what do you see from that lineup? What do you hope to see out of that lineup throughout the series? Yeah, those guys were great, um, you know, they went in there, extended the lead. I thought Jay Wills’ first half minutes, uh, were particularly impactful, especially on the glass. Uh, the rebounding, you know, this is the best crashing team in the league. They don’t get the most offensive rebounds, but they go more than anybody, uh, and so you got to be really cognizant of that. I thought at the end of the first half that reared its head *** little bit, you know, they got on the glass, they got extra possessions. I think they had 14 2nd chance points at halftime. Um, but prior to that, Jay Will really patrolled it, um, with the defensive rebounding down there. And, and Doug was just saying earlier this week that he feels as fresh as possible because he barely played this year. What do, what do you sort of want him, I imagine maybe the injury stuff is on his mind some. What, what do you want him to be mindful of as he progresses through the postseason considering the way his, his year’s gone? I mean, I wouldn’t assume anything about what he’s thinking. Um, just want all the guys to be present. Um, in whatever’s going on, I thought we did that really well today. I thought we were present coming into the game, uh, understood it was game one. I thought we stayed present throughout the game. Our focus didn’t waiver despite, um, building *** lead. Uh, you know, and I would say that for any player in, in *** playoff circumstance. You know, Mark, you mentioned how good of *** shooting team they are. Can you speak to the defensive discipline you guys have to have by protecting the paint while also trying to run them off the 3, contest those 3-point shots, make them take tough shots all night while also being solid in the paint? Yeah, I mean, it starts at the point of attack with them because they have, you know, off the dribble jump shooters, you know, between. Um, you know, Brooks, especially in the mid-range, but Booker at every level, um, and Jalen Green, you know, so it starts there. I thought to start the second half we were off their body *** little bit and they get some clean looks and caught *** little bit of *** rhythm. Um, so it starts there, you know, you gotta be really good at the point of attack and then good in the help and then, uh, good flying out of it. So, uh, we did that on enough possessions tonight, but like I said, you know, I, I would expect them to shoot it better on some of the open ones. Uh, we got lucky on some plays, and they’re, you know, they’re coming off of this is *** tough turnaround for them, you know, they’re coming off of two emotional games, having to travel yesterday, turn around, play an early game today. You know, now they get 2 days, uh, and so we’re going to face *** rested hungry team on Wednesday 9. Mark Dagnat, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, I think he’s exactly right. It’s *** tough turnaround after the game on Friday that Phoenix had to win to get into the playoffs, come and play an afternoon game in Oklahoma City. They’ll be rested on Wednesday. I think they’ll be *** different team on Wednesday. I’m not saying they’ll play better on Wednesday, but I do think Mark Dagna is right about that as we look ahead to game two. Stay with us on the postgame show with Dylan Buckingham, I, Brian Keating as the Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns in game 1, 119 to 84. We’ll be right back. The Thunder lead the series 1-0 against the Phoenix Suns 1 1984. Welcome back to the postgame show with Dylan Buckingham. I’m Brian Keating. Um, Dylan, I, I thought. You brought it up at the beginning of the show. This is not one of your prototypical incredible offensive explosion nights from Shay Gilgs Alexander. Though he was consistent. I thought he continued to put pressure on the Phoenix Suns to guard him, but I thought it was everybody else. What did you think of Shay Gilgs Alexander here in game one? 5 of 18 is not Shea-like. What is Shay-like is 15 to 17 at the free throw line. I think he stuck to his guns, what he knows best, which is attack the basket, try and get myself going that way by watching the ball go in on *** free throw, and it just didn’t work tonight. The Phoenix Suns, you gotta give him *** little bit of credit where they basically made it tough on him to score all night, but I thought there were stretches where Shay tried to get some confidence even for game two, even though it’s *** few days away on Wednesday, where he was working to get that shot in motion and things to drop in for him. But aside from that though, it was everybody else that stepped up. I thought, you know, 5 of 18 obviously is not something you’re going to see *** lot of, uh, Shay Gildris Alexander games. They really made an emphasis to guard him. We’ll let everybody else beat us, and I think you’re going to see that throughout the rest of the playoffs, right? I think you’re going to see 123 guys on SGA. We’ll take our chances with everybody else. The problem for the Phoenix Suns is that they’re going to have *** hard time guarding everybody else as well. One of the other guys that I thought played exceptionally well, especially early, was Chet Holmgren. I thought early. In the basketball game, Chet Holmgren was an emphasis for OKC. He had 13 points in the first half, did *** little bit of everything. The numbers are not going to wow you, but I thought he set the tone, and I thought he did it on both ends offensively around the basket. He made the big 3 at the end of the first quarter, but the shot blocking and what he takes away from Phoenix, I thought that was huge. Absolutely. And you go back to even, you said that not the sexiest. Number 7 rebounds, right? There were offensive boards left and right by Oklahoma City in this game. Chet had one where he goes up in the 2nd quarter, just grabs the ball out of the air, tries to dunk it, was *** couple inches off from the dunk, and still just lays it up and in. I mean, he did *** lot of dirty stuff even though he was also pulled from the inside to the outside where he’s trying to guard some of the guys on the perimeter for Phoenix. So I thought Chet was absolutely fantastic tonight. I thought you and I were about to watch *** performance of Chet like going for *** playoff career high tonight, and then we kind of realized. Pretty quickly, hey, might not play long enough to make that happen. We were searching through all the stats trying to find what his playoff career high was. And no, not that kind of night for Chet, but really not that kind of night for anybody. You didn’t have to have that. The one advantage Oklahoma City has against the Phoenix Suns and potentially against everybody else they’re going to play throughout the course of the rest of the playoffs is their bench and their depth. And I thought it was on full display this afternoon. Nobody popped. It’s not like you had the 6th man. Of the. It’s not like you have the 6th Man of the Year or anything. AJ Mitchell, pretty good. Cason Wallace defensively just outstanding. Alex Caruso offensively, not unbelievable, but it’s just the number of guys that they can bring up. Mark Dag talked about Jay Will, Jalen Williams. I think it’s just the number of guys and number of options that you’ve got, that’s going to be an advantage against everybody. Yeah, the thing you have to look at on this full screen we have up here right now isn’t the points because you’re gonna go, wow. 17 points by 3 guys, it’s everything else on the right side of that. And watching the way that even AJ Mitchell guarded Devin Booker, he didn’t make it easy on him. And we know AJ Mitchell, not an all-defensive guy in the league, but an obvious guy that will work his tail off on that end of the floor, and he did against Devin Booker tonight. So, of course, Jason Wallace is gonna do what he does, Alex Cruso gonna do what he does defensively. Both those guys great, but I liked how AJ defended tonight too. If Phoenix does similar things in game two, is there anybody you’re watching on the bench for Oklahoma City that you go, you know what, maybe they didn’t pop tonight, but that you’re looking throughout the rest of the series that, that, that you think has *** chance to have *** really good series here in Oklahoma City? I think it’s gonna be somebody like an Isaiah Joe potentially. I, I think he was *** little bit quiet tonight, not. One of his better nights that we saw, especially whenever Shay was out earlier this year, he was OKC’s leading scorer. I think he’s the guy you kind of look at and go, OK, depending on when and if he gets in the game. I mean, Mark Dagnall not gonna be bashful to try some things, we know that. I know it’s playoff time in Oklahoma, but still, it’s one of those things where I’d like to see what he does if he gets *** chance, I think you’re on the right track. I wanna see Isaiah Joe have *** good playoff. Run, however many games it is for Oklahoma City. He’s one of those guys that can absolutely turn the tide of an entire series with the space he’s going to give SGA and with his ability to just get quite hot. Unlike many other players in the league. I think he’s one of those guys. AJ Mitchell, I think we know what he is. He didn’t really play in the playoffs last year, so this is his first real introduction to the playoffs. that he got in the, the NBA Finals for like 2 minutes. Really his playoff introduction, but I, I’m curious to see what he does as this series continues and Oklahoma City wins game 1 going away, blowout fashion leads this series 1 game to none. Game 2 on Wednesday night right here back in Oklahoma City. Stay with us on the postgame show. Plenty more to talk about, plenty more to get to. Maybe we’ll hear from SGA throughout the course of the show. Stay with us. Defensive game, um, you guys forced him into *** lot of shots that he didn’t make many of them tonight. What’s key against him just keeping him from affecting the game on the scoreboard? Yeah, um, honestly speaking, Dylan’s gonna affect the game regardless. That’s what makes him *** really good player. Like, wherever he goes, whatever team he plays on, they play at *** high level, they compete, they defend, um, and it’s his, his mentality, it’s infectious, um. We saw that with this Phoenix team we’ve seen it in the past with Houston and with Memphis. It’s the player he is. Uh, I felt it playing with him on Team Canada, so he’s gonna affect the game regardless, um, but like every other good player in the NBA, you just gotta. They have things that they’re really good at things that they’re comfortable doing, things that they’re not so comfortable doing, and you gotta try to make them do the things that they’re not comfortable doing no different in that aspect. Mark mentioned uh that yesterday you guys spoke about today being the anniversary of the OKC bombing. Just what did it mean to you guys to be able to begin the playoff run, especially on today? Yeah, uh, Yeah, I mean, It’s, it’s, it’s huge for the city, um. And it’s so much bigger than just *** basketball game like the people in the city that were affected, the people that were affected after the bombing, like. Everyone that comes to the organization goes and visits the museum, um, it’s pretty heavy, uh, and. That that’s the top of everyone, everyone’s mind in Oklahoma waking up this morning, um, and we just just try to go out there, compete, uh, give them *** show and I guess kind of take their minds off the tragedy and give them something to be happy about today, but, uh. Yeah, nonetheless, it’s created the uh the character and the, the power in this city and we uh we rode out that tonight for sure with the crowd. Shay, tonight looks *** lot like game one and round one last year. Uh, just *** big win for you guys after *** week off. Is it important to sort of set that tone early, kind of in ***, in *** long postseason run to, to get the first one like tonight? Yeah, absolutely, um. It is very important like. When in the playoffs over *** run, like when you have *** chance to win games, you need to win games. Uh, being the 1 seed, both of our opponents the last two years have come off of playing, so they’re *** little bit more tired. That’s probably has something to do with it, uh, but we still have to do our job, go out there and win. Now this team’s gonna get better throughout the series. It’s who they are. It’s who they’ve been all year. They have really good players, well coached, play really hard, play the right way, so we have to be ready to. To get better as well and they expect *** better team on the other end. They’re, they’re gonna be better for, for the rest of the series. It’s not gonna be like tonight. Paraphrasing, but I know you’ve said before that when Chet got on this team, it changed the ceiling of what you guys are capable of. Just wanted to ask you about his playoff evolution as *** postseason performer. I know it’s only one game, but how he’s sort of developed over the past couple of years. Yeah, he just, Chet, I always say this like. The version of Chet today is never like this, that’s the worst version of Chet we’re gonna get, and that’s just his mentality, his work ethic. Like Chet is *** guy that gets better every day, every year, um, and we’re seeing that unfold right through our eyes, um, with every game, with every. I guess wrap under his belt he just grows from it and um yeah we’re just seeing him get better. Shay Gilgs Alexander, 25 points in game one against the Phoenix Suns. Anything strike you about what Shea had to say there? Yeah, that’s the worst version of Chet we’re gonna get in the series. What? The dude was on pace to like break his playoff career high. I mean, that’s incredible. It says *** lot about what Chet does on *** night to night basis, but that’s what struck me right there, and obviously to tone it down *** little bit. I thought it was really cool to see the resilience of the city on display after 31 years ago today, so very, very cool stuff by Shea. I love to watch that kind of stuff, how these guys have embraced what that event was and how Oklahoma City’s grown from it. I thought you could feel that *** little bit before the game as well with people walking in and so much of the conversation, they talk about it in the arena. I, I could feel that in the arena as well. I thought it. It struck me, Shea says the Suns are going to get better throughout the course of the series. I think he’s right about that. This is probably the worst version of the Phoenix Suns that you’ll see tonight, really, coming off the game on Friday night and then going into Wednesday, I think they’re going to try to see if they can’t play *** little bit better and make this thing *** more competitive game. I just thought Shay’s going to be much better than he was tonight. He knows he’s going to be much better than he was tonight and still Oklahoma City wins in blowout fashion, and they lead this series one game to none. Um, Dylan, we’re gonna do something *** little bit different tonight because you know what the Thunder have become? They have become *** fashion iconic team. So we’re gonna talk about some of the Thunder fits. Roll it. I like it. All right, so we’re giving the fit of the game. What do you think about Shay? You don’t have one. See, he looked like he was in for *** bit of *** funeral for Phoenix game kind of played out that way. Chet Holmgren and all black as well. You two were on *** group text together. I think you and Chet, like, who wore it better? Like you guys had the exact same idea here. You’re coming to *** funeral for the rest. The NBA because the Thunder are repeating. That’s what I thought you two were trying to, to accomplish today with your attire. You look great, by the way. Hey, look, we’re just trying to, it’s, it’s playoff time in Oklahoma City. You gotta dress the part, Dylan. Um, I think the fit of the game goes to the birthday boy though, Lou Dort, who went *** totally different direction. Lou Dort with the all white, Shay goes all black, Lou goes all white. You, can you pull that off next time? The new, the next postgame show we do, can you, can you change for that before crashing the boards tonight? Dude, I can’t pull off what I’m wearing right now. I have no idea how I’m gonna pull that off at any point. I mean, that would just, I mean, I can’t even fit in that shirt. That’s impressive. I might be able to fit in the pants if I really suck it, really tight. You don’t think so. I look, I don’t, I, I just asked the question. Birthday boy Lou Dort with the fit of the game. Look, we’re just trying to have fun here. You gotta try to entertain this thing up. They won by 30. We’re never, never challenged. Don’t think this is gonna be *** long series. So the Thunder with our fit. Oh, who’d you pick for the fit of the game? I want, I want. I’m gonna go with Chad because I think you guys texted about it. I think you guys had *** conversation and you’re like, let’s show the NBA what we’re all about. That’s what we’re gonna wear today. Let’s, let’s set *** statement, and you guys did. We, we just, we knew it was playoff time again in Oklahoma City. You gotta dress the part, look good, feel good, play good. It’s the motto of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is also my. Motto on *** daily basis. All right, look good, motto to have. Good motto to have. You know, you don’t have to tell anybody here. You, you’ve mentioned it. We know how to act during playoff time. This, this state’s seen *** championship. The fans showed up today just like your drip and Chet’s. Stay with us on the postgame show. One more break to go. Oklahoma City leads the Phoenix Suns one game to 0. Blowout win on Sunday afternoon. We’ll be right back. Thunder win game one against the Phoenix Suns. We’ll come back and do this again on Wednesday night. Um, I’ll ask you anything different than what you thought if you had to circle one thing about Oklahoma City, what you’re looking forward to on Wednesday night? More unselfish basketball by what the Thunder put together. I thought the guys. Played very you’re so welcome, Casey. Anytime. Yes, more unselfish basketball by Oklahoma City in Game two is what I fully expect to see. Uh, you know, those guys move the ball around even though Shay was having *** rough night shooting. I love the way the bench played. I love the way the defense was put together. It was *** lot like what we saw last year. They mentioned that in one of the, uh, sound bites we just heard from. Was it Mark or Shay? It was Mark. It was Mark. OK, yeah, it’s very similar to what we saw last year. So I loved what the bench guys did and how they put that together defensively. And even though Shea wasn’t shooting so well, some of those other guys stepped up. Caso said unselfish. He liked that answer. So I, I think you’re right on the money. He had 6 points tonight. I think it’s, I want to see more from Chet Holmgren. I think he has an opportunity to be one of the best players in the NBA. I thought he asserted himself early in the game like an all-star that he is. I want to see that more throughout the course of the 4 quarters. I think we see *** lot from Chet early in games. I want to see it more throughout the duration of the 4 quarters, but I thought Chet was outstanding. He is someone the Phoenix Suns are not equipped to defend at all in this series. I think you could have *** monster series. I think we just saw *** glimmer of that in game 1, and I look forward to seeing that throughout the rest of the series as Oklahoma City prepares itself for game 2 on Wednesday night, right back here in the. Center. Shay says when the t-shirts are in the seats, that’s when he wants to be playing his best, and I expect an even better version of Oklahoma City on Wednesday night at 8:30. So I know Dylan Brooks decided to say on one of the, uh, shows he went on that we’re gonna go out there and steal Game one from Oklahoma City. Well, maybe he’ll get *** redo in Game two. I don’t think so. I’m not picking the Phoenix Suns to be competitive in *** lot of the games in this building. Maybe when you get back to Phoenix over the weekend, but in this building, I think they’re gonna have *** hard time. Um, but what ***, *** game one for Oklahoma City. They lead this thing one game to none. It’s the way you want to start *** long playoff run when your starters can sit in the 4th quarter. I’ll also just go ahead and make it *** smaller playoff and say they’re only 15 wins away from another championship. That’s it, just 15. He’s already crossing them off, already crossing them off, ready for *** parade right there. It’s good stuff. What *** performance. Game one goes to OKC in blowout fashion for Dylan Buckingham. I am Brian Keating. Thanks for watching the postgame show.

Thunder win Game 1 against Phoenix Suns in first round of Western Conference playoffs

Updated: 6:03 PM CDT Apr 19, 2026

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The Oklahoma City Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and took on the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, winning 119-84.This marks the third straight year the Thunder have earned the top seed in the West. The NBA title goes through the defending champs because Oklahoma City finished the regular season with the best record at 64-18. Video Below: Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs Because the Thunder were the best in the West during the regular season, they get to face the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Following the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, that team is the Suns. Schedule – Thunder vs. SunsGame 1: Suns at Oklahoma City – Sunday, April 19 (OKC 119, Suns 84)Game 2: Suns at Oklahoma City – Wednesday, April 22 (8:30 p.m. on ESPN)Game 3: Oklahoma City at Suns – Saturday, April 25 (2:30 p.m. on NBC)Game 4: Oklahoma City at Suns – Monday, April 27 (TBD)Game 5: Suns at Oklahoma City – Wednesday, April 29 (TBD)*Game 6: Oklahoma City at Suns – Friday, May 1 (TBD)*Game 7: Suns at Oklahoma City – Sunday, May 3 (TBD)*

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and took on the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, winning 119-84.

This marks the third straight year the Thunder have earned the top seed in the West. The NBA title goes through the defending champs because Oklahoma City finished the regular season with the best record at 64-18.

Video Below: Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs

Because the Thunder were the best in the West during the regular season, they get to face the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Following the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, that team is the Suns.

Schedule – Thunder vs. Suns

• Game 1: Suns at Oklahoma City – Sunday, April 19 (OKC 119, Suns 84)
• Game 2: Suns at Oklahoma City – Wednesday, April 22 (8:30 p.m. on ESPN)
• Game 3: Oklahoma City at Suns – Saturday, April 25 (2:30 p.m. on NBC)
• Game 4: Oklahoma City at Suns – Monday, April 27 (TBD)
• Game 5: Suns at Oklahoma City – Wednesday, April 29 (TBD)*
• Game 6: Oklahoma City at Suns – Friday, May 1 (TBD)*
• Game 7: Suns at Oklahoma City – Sunday, May 3 (TBD)*