Thunder Humble Suns in Game 1 Blowout

The Phoenix Suns officially find themselves down 1-0 in their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a thorough 119-84 loss at Paycom Center on Sunday afternoon.

Oklahoma City took control early in the first quarter and never looked back, taking full advantage of Mark Williams' absence due to a injured left foot. The Thunder controlled the boards and dominated the free throw line — a common recipe of success for the defending NBA champs.

Grayson Allen was active for the Suns with a left hamstring injury but did not play after being questionable.

Both teams emptied their bench halfway through the fourth quarter as the Suns waved the white flag to concede victory. The Thunder became the sixth-straight home team to win their opening playoff game in 2026.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished action with 25 points and 17 free throw attempts. In comparison, Phoenix's entire team shot 16 free throw attempts.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points, though Dillon Brooks' finish of 18 points on 6-22 shooting was eye-opening for all the wrong reasons.

Key defensive stop gap Jordan Goodwin left in the second quarter and did not return due to a calf injury.

Quick recap of a very forgettable opening game performance by Phoenix:

First Quarter

The Suns quickly got out to a 5-0 lead, though it didn't take OKC long to settle themselves. The Thunder eventually found their footing and knotting things up at 7-7.

The exit of guard Jordan Goodwin, who typically picks up Phoenix's toughest defensive assignments, was notable as he was forced to leave early with two quick fouls.

Dillon Brooks picked up a flagrant foul halfway through the first after hitting Holmgren in the face when swiping for a ball. That was his fifth flagrant foul of the season.

The Suns found themselves in foul trouble early, as the Thunder hit the bonus at the 6:47 mark in the first. OKC made good on their whistle and pieced together a 15-2 scoring run (which featured two timeouts from Ott) before a Jalen Green three ended it.

Oklahoma City carried a 35-20 advantage entering the second quarter after the Suns shot just 7-21 from the field to start Game 1.

Second Quarter

With Devin Booker resting the start of the second quarter, the Thunder bench took advantage of his absence and pushed their lead to 21 three minutes into action. With Williams out, Phoenix's size disadvantage was emphasized by the Thunder.

Isaiah Hartenstein notched his third foul of the game and picked up a flagrant after smacking Suns forward Royce O'Neale in the face when going for a loose ball, which sent him to the bench.

Out of the timeout, Booker re-entered action.

Goodwin hit the locker room with an apparent injury, knocking the Suns down their top on-ball defender. He did not return to action after being ruled out for the second half with left calf soreness.

OKC led 65-44 entering the break thanks to 31 points combined from Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. The Suns finished the first half with 10 turnovers and trailed by as much as 25 in the second quarter.

Third Quarter

The Suns found no more success chipping into the Thunder's lead through any stage of the third quarter, as Oklahoma City's size advantage down low mixed with not turning the ball over once helped OKC carry a 97-66 lead after three quarters.

With Goodwin ruled out and Brooks picking up his fourth foul with 4:15 left in the quarter, the Thunder were able to reach their biggest advantage of the game with the final 12 minutes approaching.

Phoenix made only 22 field goals through the third quarter. The Suns shot just 31% (10-32) from three-point land to that point.

Fourth Quarter

The Suns didn't waste much time in the fourth with some starters still on the floor, as Ott called a timeout with 7:34 left to empty the bench down 104-70.

Suns rookie Rasheer Fleming nailed a three-pointer after checking back into action. There's hope the final minutes of the fourth can give the younger Phoenix players a taste of playoff basketball.

The two sides finished out the clock with their reserves. Game 2 will be on Wednesday at Paycom Center.