Oklahoma City Thunder beat Phoenix Suns 121-109 on the road on Saturday, April 25, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 33-28 to lead by 5 after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 29-25 second quarter, carrying a 9-point lead into halftime.
The Suns won the third 26-25 to stay in front, taking a 8-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 34-30; the Thunder finished the job for a 121-109 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 7.1% of possessions compared with 11.1% for the Suns. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 56% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.1% for the Suns. Those extra possessions were crucial.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 122 points per 100 possessions to 109.9 for the Suns.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 39-12.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 42 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast on 15-18 shooting. His Game Score of 38.6 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast on 11-21 shooting, good for a 21.7 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Thunder.
Across the last 10 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 8-2.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.