The Thunder's Success In The Paint Continues To Fuel Success Against The Suns

Oklahoma City dominated down low on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball on Saturday.

Apr 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) drives past Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) in the first half during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City didn’t need to be on fire from deep to secure this win. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to dominate their opening series of the playoffs, as they took down the Suns 121-109 on Saturday afternoon for a Game 3 win. 

With the combined factors of OKC being on the road and the absence of Jalen Williams, the Thunder were in for more of a battle in this bout, yet they still pulled through. In this game, it wasn’t the deep ball that leveraged Oklahoma City’s victory, but in fact the squad’s play down low. 

The Thunder have always leveraged their ability to drive to the hole and score in the lane, and it came into play on Saturday. They scored 50 points in the paint, getting to the basket at will against the Suns. A large part of this is courtesy of the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Gilgeous-Alexander had an incredible showing on Saturday, scoring 42 points, leading both teams. The Thunder star utilized down low more than anyone, as he scored 22 of his points in the paint. More impressively, he didn’t miss a single shot when he shot from inside the paint, going 11 for 11. 

Now, while Oklahoma City can score in the paint, a big part of the game was preventing Phoenix from getting things started on its side of the court. The Suns only scored 30 points down low, not being able to get much past the OKC defense. 

Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren both were in foul trouble throughout the game, but that didn’t stop them from making an impact down low. Hartenstein sent one shot back, and Holmgren made a statement with two blocks, sending an Oso Ighodaro block back, and stuffing a Devin Booker layup attempt as well. 

The Thunder’s stout defense down low again made Phoenix try to rely on its shots from beyond the arc. The Suns only managed to shoot 32% from deep, only connecting on 13 of their 41 attempts, which we have seen will not get you a win against the defending champions. 

Oklahoma City has dominated in the paint on both sides of the ball the entire series, which is a big reason they are up 3-0. It has continued to be a group effort throughout the series, and now OKC just needs one more dominant performance to punch its ticket to the next round. 

This chance will come Monday night, with the Thunder hoping its play down low can fuel OKC to a series sweep.