By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Oklahoma City’s first-round dominance in the NBA playoffs continues.
The road should get at least a little tougher in the coming weeks — but there’s little doubt the defending champions are well-equipped to defend their title.
The Thunder finished off a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, winning 131-122 after pulling away in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma City is 12-0 in the first round over the past three years.
“It’s a really good feeling,” guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the sweep. “Just for our confidence as a group, it’s good to get the playoff run started the right way. You never know what can happen — and usually the later you go, the better the teams, and the series won’t go like that. You want to give yourself as many days as possible to rest.”
The 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander looked every bit like the reigning Most Valuable Player against the Suns, averaging 33.8 points and shooting 55.1% from the field. He was at his best in Game 3, scoring 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting.
He was very good again in Game 4, scoring 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting. The Thunder’s offense was at its best in the series finale, with Chet Holmgren scoring 24 and Ajay Mitchell adding 22.
Oklahoma City shot nearly 54% from the field and made 17 of 34 (50%) 3-pointers.
“We played the right way, nothing out of the usual,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Guys were out there making aggressive plays and playing for each other. We have a formula we try to play with and we try to impose it every night.”
The Thunder will face the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers have a 3-1 lead after the Rockets won Game 4.
Even though they swept the series, the Thunder were hit with some adversity when starter Jalen Williams went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2. Oklahoma City still had plenty of depth to get past the gritty but overmatched Suns, who barely qualified for the playoffs after beating the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament.
Mitchell stepped into the starting lineup for Williams and looked confident, particularly in Game 4. He finished with 22 points and six assists, showing he could handle the larger workload in the postseason.
A second-round draft pick out of Santa Barbara, the 6-foot-4 guard has quickly become a vital part of the rotation.
“Ajay is one of the toughest dudes in the league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Mentally, he’s never shaken. He’s never afraid of the moment. Ajay can be having the worst day ever and you would never know because he’s so solid.”
The Thunder’s superior size was also on display against the Suns, who were without starting center Mark Williams because of a foot injury. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren and 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein combined for 24 rebounds on Monday night, including nine on the offensive glass.
Holmgren said the Suns were a guard-heavy team that tried to go small. He figures others will take a different approach but believes the Thunder are ready for anything.
“We’re going to see different teams match up in different ways,” Holmgren said. “Some are going to go big and some are going to go small and play with more pace and open the floor. But I think we’ve seen a lot of what we could see at this point. Now it’s just about going out and executing.”
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