The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their playoff defense with a statement performance, dismantling the Phoenix Suns 119-84 in Game 1 at the Paycom Center. The defending champions delivered a dominant 35-point blowout that mirrored their playoff-opening performance from last season, when they beat Memphis by 51 points in Game 1 before ultimately winning the title.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 25 points despite shooting just 5-of-18 from the floor. The Thunder forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 34 points, building a 34-2 advantage in points off turnovers — the largest differential in a playoff game during the play-by-play era. Oklahoma City led by 15 after the first quarter, 21 at halftime and 31 after three quarters, never letting the Suns back into the game.

Phoenix faced significant disadvantages coming in. The Suns had to beat the Golden State Warriors in Friday's play-in game to earn their playoff spot, then traveled Saturday before facing the top seed in a 2:30 p.m. local tip Sunday. "Every time you're playing against them, you've got to value the ball, value possessions," Suns coach Jordan Ott said. "Their physicality, their athleticism, their size, their length forces you to continuously make good decisions and quick decisions."

The Thunder became just the third team in NBA history to open consecutive postseasons with wins of at least 35 points, joining the Los Angeles Lakers from 1986-87.