basketball

Player grades: Thunder destroy Suns in 119-84 Game 1 win

Yahoo Sports

Player grades for the Oklahoma City Thunder's 119-84 Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Anxiously waiting around a week, the reigning NBA champions started their hopeful back-to-back journey similar to last year. A complete demolition of an eighth-seed that entered on tired-out legs. The two-plus-hour game morphed into a party for the uniformed OKC crowd.

The Oklahoma City Thunder completely destroyed the Phoenix Suns in a 119-84 Game 1 win. They led by as many as 39 points and opened up the Round 1 series with a 1-0 lead. Entering the game, the Suns tried to manifest a gigantic Game 1 upset.

Dillon Brooks verbalized it in front of national TV. He then antagonized Chet Holmgren with trivial activities by refusing to give him the ball before tip-off. Alas, none of that could prevent the inevitable.

Running back last year's classic, the Thunder started their playoff journey with a bang. Any intrusive thoughts were erased. The Thunder had a 35-20 lead after the first quarter.

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