Thunder 121, Suns 109: The Day After Report

PHOTOS⚡THUNDER | NBA Play-by-Play | CourtSketch Box Score

Postgame Bolts

• In the absence of Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell received his first career playoff start.
• The first OKC bucket in Game 1: Lu Dort 3
  The first OKC bucket in Game 2: Lu Dort 3
  The first OKC bucket in Game 3: Lu Dort 3
• No JDub. No Isaiah Joe. Enter Jared McCain.
• OKC's trade deadline sharpshooter checked in for his first real playoff minutes to start the 2nd quarter. McCain immediately rattled off 7 points and a nice dime in his first 5 minutes.
• SGA took his first free throws of the game 3 minutes before halftime.
• Suns held a 12 to 5 free throw attempt advantage at intermission. And OKC was up 9 points. I had no idea what the Suns players were going to talk about in postgame if that held.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20+ points for the 12th straight playoff game.
• …and he got there without yet missing a single shot.
• Suns kept trying to make a push late in the 3rd quarter and SGA kept answering. He scored 30 points before the 4th quarter.
• SGA's final line was ridiculous. 42 points on 15 of 18 shooting. One of the most efficient 40 point games in the history of the NBA Playoffs. A playoff career high for SGA. And the most points scored in a 2026 NBA playoff game...
• ...until Ayo beat it by 1 point later that night. But does a playoff high actually count if it comes against the Denver "defense"?
• Thunder are 11-0 in the 1st Round the past 3 seasons. AI tells me that no team in NBA history has ever swept three straight 1st round series, but I have not confirmed with any human.
• Alex Caruso was excellent on both sides in Game 3. 13 points. 3-6 from deep. 5 rebounds. 2 stocks. +16.
• Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace's box scores don't jump out but both hit big shots and flexed their soon to be All-Defensive muscles. Those two in particular smothered the Suns in the second half.
• Top scoring individual games in the 2026 Playoffs
  1. Ayo: 43 points
  2. SGA: 42 points
  3. Cade: 39 points
  4. SGA: 37 points
• Thunder are 3-0. Margins of victory: 35 points, 13 points, 12 points

One Key Takeaway