Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points as Oklahoma City defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107 in the Western Conference playoff series.
Published April 23, 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points and nine assists to lead Oklahoma City to a 120-107 home victory over the Phoenix Suns, giving the Thunder a 2-0 lead in the first round of the Western Conference playoff series.
But Wednesday’s victory may have come at a cost for the hosts.
Thunder star Jaylen Williams, who was limited to just 33 games during the regular season due to injury, left the game midway through the third quarter with a left hamstring injury.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said after the game, “We’ll look at Williams’ situation over the next few days and update him as appropriate.”
Williams pulled over while driving toward the bucket and grabbed his hamstring when the action went the other way.
Williams did not return, but injured his right wrist and right hamstring, missing two long stretches of the season.
Before his injury, Williams had an impressive performance, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dishing out four assists in 23 minutes.
Oklahoma City took control in the third quarter, thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren grabbed a rebound on each of the first three possessions of the first half and had 11 points and three blocks in the quarter, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points and four assists in the period.
Holmgren had 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
The Thunder ended the third with a 13-2 run to extend the lead to 23 points, and extended it to 26 points early in the fourth.
The Suns cut the deficit to 10 points with nearly four minutes left, but coming out of a timeout, Ajay Mitchell hit a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 113-100.
“We did a really good job of building the kind of lead we had in the third heading into the fourth,” Daigneault said. “Obviously the fourth one was a little weird. We’ll see…but overall it was a good game. We built a strong lead and were able to defend it.”
Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who got off to a slow start in Game 1, missed his first three shots Wednesday, but then found his range. He hit 7 of 10 shots the rest of the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who went 5-of-18 from the field in the series opener, went 13-of-25 in Game 2.
“Shai made the right plays all night,” Daigneault said. “His floor game was great. He hit really good shots.”
Early in the third quarter, Brooks and Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort tangled as they fought for a potential free throw rebound. The two quickly distanced themselves, but each was whistled for a technical foul.
Late in the quarter, Devin Booker received a technical call for bouncing the ball off Williams while trying to keep it in play.
“This is a playoff series, so a lot of things can happen,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said, adding that he had not been briefed on the call-up. “Sometimes you can do a better job by staying calm.”
Booker finished with 22 points, but Jalen Green finished with 21 points in the loss.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in Phoenix.
