The Thunder kicked off their postseason on Sunday afternoon, taking the floor against the Phoenix Suns for Game 1. Fresh off their first title since relocation, Oklahoma City is hoping for another extended postseason run.
Things started off well for OKC, with the squad grabbing a blowout win over Phoenix in its debut action. Eventually, Jalen Williams would help to start the run, hitting a triple and getting a steal-and-slam for the five-point swing. From there, it was all Thunder, as the team would coast to 39-point lead, eventually seeing it’s third-team players finish the game.
The Thunder would win 119-84 in total, capping its third-straight postseason opener with a win, having beaten the Pelicans and Grizzlies in previous season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t see a stellar game by his standards, scoring just 25 points on 18 shots, though his co-stars in Williams and Chet Holmgren were able to star alongside him. Williams continued to add in his stellar two-way game on the wing, going for 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Holmgren anchored the paint with 16 points on 50% shooting, with two steals and blocks apiece.
The Thunder’s defense was also a major highlight, holding Phoenix’s trio of stars to lesser scoring nights. Devin Booker added 23 points on 17 shots, Jalen Green added 17 points on 16 shots, and Dillon Brooks scored just 18 points on 22 shots.
The Thunder’s perimeter trio of Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace more than did its job, flying around and limiting quality shots on Phoenix’s end.
In pairing both offense and defense together, the Thunder forced 19 turnovers in total, grabbing 34 points off those.
Here’s how X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to the game:
Let’s work @Kia Electric Starting Lineups pic.twitter.com/g7c1GTwdeZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 19, 2026
Game 1 starters ☄️@gobellbanks | #SunsUp pic.twitter.com/BntZBUXZKO
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 19, 2026
OKC Thunder fans are legit the only ones in the league who wear all the t-shirts and the arena looks beautiful. https://t.co/yl5UNTLKnX
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 19, 2026
MVP chants can already be heard for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just a few minutes into the game.
Finalists for the award will be announced today during halftime of the Detroit-Orlando game, which tips off at 5:30 p.m. CT.
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) April 19, 2026
Great execution on that fast break by OKC and Isaiah Hartenstein caps it off with a slam.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) April 19, 2026
5-0 Dub run
— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) April 19, 2026
Been a 14-2 run for the Thunder. They’ve hit the nos early
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) April 19, 2026
Fantastic find from Shai to AC under the rim.
— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) April 19, 2026
Chet Holmgren is one of the best basketball players in the world
— Gur Singh (@HoopFocusX) April 19, 2026
Suns playing great defense but keep giving up the OREB
— Erik Ruby (@ErikRuby) April 19, 2026
Thunder are working the offensive glass. 7 offensive rebounds in the first
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) April 19, 2026
Jaylin Williams touchdown pass to Chet Holmgren for a turnaround 3-pointer,
Playoffs, indeed.
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) April 19, 2026
What a play pic.twitter.com/fzDVtvqfim
— Going For 2 Podcast (@Goingfor2PodIP) April 19, 2026
Playoff J Dub 😭🙏 pic.twitter.com/DkH6nyQqrO
— Russ’ TD ⚡ (@RussFcb) April 19, 2026
I gotta be honest… did NOT think that Cason Wallace had enough space to catch that lob but Jalen Williams knew otherwise
What a dunk by Wallace. Thunder, leading the Suns 51-28 in the 2Q, having fun out here in Game 1
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 19, 2026
Shai-like baseline jumper from Dub
— Tayler Peterson (@Tayler_P15) April 19, 2026
OKC really is one of the greatest defensive units of all time. Just smothering
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) April 19, 2026
Insane two-way play by Caso
— Jacob Kniffen (@JacobKniffen) April 19, 2026
OKC is now up to 17 points off Phoenix’s turnovers.
Comparatively, the Thunder have only given up 2 points off their turnovers so far today.
— Paris Lawson (@ParisNLawson) April 19, 2026
JALEN WILLIAMS REJECTS DILLON BROOKS ❌ pic.twitter.com/djs9Ip9DQz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 19, 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got up there to block that dunk on Oso Ighodaro, who’s five inches taller.
A reminder that SGA ranks 10th among guards in total blocks this season (52).
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) April 19, 2026
That’s a pair of very tough made layups by Dillon Brooks, who’s been struggling offensively today. He has 16 points on 5-for-20 shooting from the field (3 for 10 from deep).
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) April 19, 2026
Playoff Dub >>>
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) April 19, 2026
Any possession that ends in a Dillon Brooks shot is a good possession for the Thunder
— Ivan White (@ivanbball13) April 19, 2026
The Thunder will look to do the very same in Game 2 on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CT. There will be a two-day break, before the teams move on to Phoenix for games 3 and 4.
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