""It's not like we're going into Game 1s being like, 'Alright, let's just blow them out,'" said Thunder wing Jalen Williams. "It's more just like, how hard can we play to set the tone?""
""I'm sure those guys take the regular-season game serious, but they feel like this is the time of year," said Suns star Devin Booker. "Every time down, [we can't] turn it over. I think that fuels everything -- fuels them, fuels the crowd.""
"The Thunder had a 34-2 advantage in points off of turnovers, the largest differential in that category in a playoff game during the play-by-play era."
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the playoffs with a commanding 119-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns. This performance mirrored last year's postseason start, where they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by 51 points. The Thunder's defense, ranked top in the league for two consecutive seasons, converted 19 turnovers into 34 points, leading to a significant advantage in points off turnovers. This game marked the Thunder's second consecutive playoff opening win by at least 35 points, joining an elite group in NBA history.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]