Thunder's second straight dominant Game 1 win puts them in elite company alongside Showtime Lakers
Only the Showtime Lakers have posted dominant wins like this in consecutive playoff openers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were frequently dominant while posting the NBA’s best record this season. But they flipped a switch on Sunday into playoff mode as they began their quest for a second straight NBA championship in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns managed to keep things close in the opening minutes of a game that was tied at 12-12.
But the Thunder closed the first quarter on a 23-8 run to enter the second with a 35-20 lead. From there, it was a runaway for a 119-84 OKC win . CHET SWAT.
SGA UP-AND-UNDER BUCKET. OKC IS ON A 15-2 RUN IN GAME 1! pic.
twitter. com/Gt9qj3HheG — NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2026 It wasn’t quite the opening salvo the Thunder delivered in their playoff opener last season, a 131-80 thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies . But it puts them in elite company.