OKC Thunder Player Grades: Young Duo Powers OKC Past Suns in Game 1

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to beat down the Suns in Game 1 of their first round series. Here are the player grades for that contest.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after scoring against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Jalen Williams harassed the Phoenix Suns all night. With the game tied at 12 and 7:42 left in the opening frame, Williams jumped over a screen by Dillon Brooks, pushing Jalen Green to the sideline and outreaching his jaw-dropping wingspan to pluck the ball free. Williams tightroped down the sideline and gained control of the ball for a breakaway slam into a Suns timeout. The Paycom Center was buzzing. They knew that not only had Williams stolen the ball from Green, but the game entirely.

That was a microcosm of the Thunder's 119-84 Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder held the Suns to a lowly 34.9% shooting from the floor, just 33.3% from beyond the arc and struggled to create any high-quality looks while turning the ball over an alarming 17 times throughout the 48-minute game.

Oklahoma City capitalized on those giveaways for 34 points compared to the Suns only posting two points off the Thunder's six turnovers.

The Thunder rolled to a dominating win over the Suns in the opening game of this first round series. Mark Daigneault still has not lost a first round contest. Oklahoma City was powered by their 2022 NBA Draft class duo, let's dive into player grades for everyone who logged time in this tilt.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives around Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder Starting Lineup Grades From Game 1 vs. Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G: C

The reigning NBA MVP had a ho-hum day at the office. That is the standard he has set, logging 25 points, dishing out seven assists, hauling in four rebounds and swatting a pair of shots in his 30 minutes of work. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't as efficient as people have grown accustomed to seeing him, going 5-for-18 from the floor, 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 15-for-17 from the charity stripe.

Oklahoma City's superstar got to the line by leveraging the aggressive coverage Jordan Ott threw at him. Gilgeous-Alexander snaked past the Suns' defenders, making Phoenix play from beyond and get in foul trouble as he attacked the basket. While this is not a game that will stick out when you reflect on the All-time great scorers' career years from now, he did his job to get this win for OKC.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during team introductions before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Lu Dort, G: B+

Perhaps this letter grade catches some readers off guard. After all, the Oklahoma City Thunder defensive ace only produced eight points on as many shots, hauled in two rebounds, had as many assists, and swiped a steal in his 24 minutes of work, but he was under control.

When you look at Dort's game, he accomplished his most important goal. He will always be a streaky shooter, so his 2-for-6 start from beyond the arc to this playoff run shouldn't be a concern. What should be an encouragement is that all eight of his shots were graded by this scribe as good decisions. That has not always been the case for the undrafted guard and that is when he gets in trouble on the court.

One of the best plays Dort made in this contest was getting the ball swung to him on the left wing, attacking a hard close-out with one dribble and kicking the ball over to Jalen Williams for an easy catch-and-shoot rise-up mid-range jumper that fell through the bottom of the net.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after scoring against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Jalen Williams, F: A+

It was fair to be interesting, if not out right question, how Williams would perform in this opening round of the NBA Playoffs. He only logged 33 games this season as he recovered from offseason wrist surgery and two different hamstring strains.

Though, Game 1 was a vintage performance from him. The Santa Clara product was stellar running the break as the point man in transition and helped Oklahoma City score a jaw-dropping 34 points off turnovers.

In the half court, the Thunder leaned on Williams scoring gravity and play making to continue to expose the Suns. Offensively, he got to the rim and dashed to his spots in the mid-range to set up shots for himself while also feeding his teammates with six assists.

While he posted 22 points to couple with those six assists and seven rebounds gobbled up, Williams was pivotal in Oklahoma City's suffocating defense.

The Suns shot just 34.9 percent from the floor in large part due to Williams' length and switch-ability to cover everyone on the floor. He made two stand-out defensive plays with the pick pocket of Jalen Green in the first quarter and the help side block from behind of Booker later that felt like a dagger driven into a dejected Suns team frustrated by their flustered offense.

Williams was the best player on the floor in Game 1 and looked ready to help lead this Thunder team on its quest for a second straight NBA title.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during team introductions before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren, F: A-

16 points in the opening half was a stellar start to the contest for Holmgren, who had it going in every regard. In the half court, Holmgren showed a ton of flashes even on his missed shots. He was comfortable getting to his spots, being set up by his playmakers and shooting over smaller matchups.

His first bucket saw him get a left-angle swing pass from Jalen Williams, taking three dribbles straight to the middle of the floor before rising up at the free-throw line over Devin Booker to exploit this matchup and drop in his first make. Holmgren's last bucket was a splashed-in catch-and-shoot triple from the left slot off of a one-dribble pass by Lu Dort. The Gonzaga product was comfortable and confident launching the ball all night, which played into his early success.

Perhaps his most impressive bucket came with just 2.7 ticks left in the opening frame, when Jaylin Williams launched a pass down the floor to Holmgren, who caught the ball 28 feet from the basket, turned toward the sideline into a one-dribble-pull-up triple at the buzzer over Oso Ighodaro.

He also hung around the rim being able to tip back in Alex Caruso's missed lay up and doing the same on a Jalen Green fumbled defensive rebound.

Holmgren did his job all night even in the second half where he was held scoreless, it wasn't for a lack of trying in his nine minutes after intermission he produced three shots all from beyond the arc which were all off the catch and all over smaller close outs that used to give him trouble. Even though the ball never fell through the net in the second half the process was much better from the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft than before.

Isaiah Hartenstein, C: B+

The Oklahoma City Thunder know what to expect from Hartenstein. He delivered while not having a monster performance. Sure, it was only eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks but you have to remember Hartenstein was only on the hardwood for 20 minutes. That is a massive impact.

Oklahoma City saw their starting center be too much to handle for the Suns, a trend that will continue in this series as Phoenix will not magically grow size over night.