PHOENIX — The Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff opening-round mastery rolled on Monday night as they completed another flawless series performance.
With tougher challenges awaiting in upcoming rounds, the reigning champions appear fully prepared to pursue another title defense.
Oklahoma City capped off a complete four-game series victory over Phoenix with Monday’s 131-122 win, pulling clear during the final quarter. The Thunder have now claimed victory in all 12 first-round contests across the last three playoff seasons.
“It’s a really good feeling,” guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the sweep. “Just for our confidence as a group, it’s good to get the playoff run started the right way. You never know what can happen — and usually the later you go, the better the teams, and the series won’t go like that. You want to give yourself as many days as possible to rest.”
The 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander demonstrated why he earned Most Valuable Player honors throughout the series against Phoenix, posting 33.8 points per game while connecting on 55.1% of his field goal attempts. His finest performance came in the third game when he tallied 42 points on an exceptional 15-of-18 shooting display.
Monday’s series clincher saw him contribute another strong showing with 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Oklahoma City’s offensive attack reached peak efficiency in the final game, getting 24 points from Chet Holmgren and 22 from Ajay Mitchell.
The Thunder connected on nearly 54% of their field goals while draining 17 of 34 three-point attempts for a 50% success rate from beyond the arc.
“We played the right way, nothing out of the usual,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Guys were out there making aggressive plays and playing for each other. We have a formula we try to play with and we try to impose it every night.”
Oklahoma City will next meet either the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, with the Lakers currently ahead 3-1 following Houston’s Game 4 victory.
Despite the series sweep, the Thunder faced some challenges when starter Jalen Williams suffered a hamstring injury during the second game. Oklahoma City’s roster depth proved sufficient to overcome the determined but outmatched Suns, who secured their playoff spot by defeating Golden State in the play-in tournament.
Mitchell seamlessly transitioned into the starting role replacing Williams and displayed growing confidence, especially in the final game. He recorded 22 points and six assists, proving capable of handling increased responsibilities during postseason play.
The 6-foot-4 guard, selected in the second round of the draft from Santa Barbara, has rapidly established himself as a crucial rotation player.
“Ajay is one of the toughest dudes in the league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Mentally, he’s never shaken. He’s never afraid of the moment. Ajay can be having the worst day ever and you would never know because he’s so solid.”
Oklahoma City’s size advantage proved decisive against Phoenix, who played without starting center Mark Williams due to a foot injury. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren and 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 24 rebounds in Monday’s game, including nine offensive boards.
Holmgren noted that Phoenix employed a guard-heavy lineup that emphasized smaller lineups. He expects future opponents to use varying strategies but believes Oklahoma City is prepared for any approach.
“We’re going to see different teams match up in different ways,” Holmgren said. “Some are going to go big and some are going to go small and play with more pace and open the floor. But I think we’ve seen a lot of what we could see at this point. Now it’s just about going out and executing.”
