Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 122-131, making it 4-0 in the first round of the Western Conference and becoming the first team to secure qualification for the next phase of the NBA playoffs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder became, in the early hours of Monday to Tuesday, the first team to secure their place in the next phase of the playoffs to determine the North American basketball champion, once again getting the better of the Phoenix Suns, this time at the Mortgage Matchup Center, by a score of 122-131.
The team coached by Mark Daigneault, which had already won the previous three games 119-84, 120-107, and 109-121, thus completed a 4-0 record in the first round of the Western Conference, securing a place in the Western Conference semifinals, where they will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again ‘on fire’, this time scoring 31 points, the best individual mark of the game. He benefited from the valuable double-doubles achieved by his teammates Chet Holmgren (24 points and 12 rebounds) and Isaiah Hartenstein (18 points and 12 rebounds).
On the other side of the ‘barricade’, Devin Booker (24 points), Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green (both with 23 points) all surpassed the 20-point mark, but even that wasn’t enough to avoid this complete ‘sweep’, in front of their own fans, who didn’t hide their dissatisfaction with yet another defeat.
Orlando Magic pull away and Denver Nuggets still have a chance
Also this morning, the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons at the Kia Center, 94-88, to take a 3-1 lead and move to within one win of the Western Conference semifinals, which could happen as early as next Wednesday at 9:00 PM (Portugal time), at Little Caesars Arena.
Desmond Bane contributed to this outcome with 22 points, while Wendell Carter Jr. recorded a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. On the visitors’ side, the main figure was Cade Cunningham, whose 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists were ultimately insufficient.
The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, beat the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena, 125-113, narrowing the series deficit to 3-2. In this case, the main architect of the victory was the inevitable Nikola Jokic, who delivered a triple-double with 27 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds.
