
"Lo que le hizo Arbeloa no se lo merece nadie y menos el capitĂĄn del Real Madrid"
Roberto GĂłmez critica a Arbeloa por su trato hacia Carvajal, capitĂĄn del Real Madrid.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107, taking a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. Despite a late push from the Suns, the Thunder maintained control throughout the game.
The No. 1 seed in the West did No. 1 seed things.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
The Thunder led by as many as 26, but the Suns â powered by 30 points from Dillon Brooks â cut the lead to 10 late in the fourth quarter. But thatâs how good OKC is. The lead stayed double-digits despite the team losing Jalen Williams to a hamstring injury and the game was never really in doubt as OKC closed things out.
Here are the key takeaways for a Thunder win in which they look very tough to beat:
It's apparent the Sunsâ primary, secondary and tertiary defensive order of operations are centered around slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning league and Finals MVP, one of the most efficient scorers in recent NBA history, is seeing a swarm of bodies on seemingly every turn and catch of the ball.
Phoenix, one of the leagueâs most proficient turnover-causing teams, displayed a number of different defensive approaches on SGA â switching, pressuring and even reverting to a box-and-1 â in attempts to keep Gilgeous-Alexanderâs scoring at bay, but it was to no avail. Outside of a few early misses, the bulk of which were good looks, Gilgeous-Alexander had his way with the Suns, using his random, jittery motion to keep Phoenix off-balance and finishing with a game-high 37 points.
The Sunsâ best chance at guarding SGA, Dillon Brooks, was routinely switched off. courtesy of smart and timely Thunder screens. Itâs hard enough slowing down a juggernaut like the Thunder even when their best player is struggling, like he was in Game 1. If heâs able to maintain a scoring rhythm like he did in Game 2, this series wonât last much longer.
Simply put, the Suns need more from Oso Ighodaro in this series. With starting center Mark Williams sidelined with a foot injury, head coach Jordan Ott called upon the second-year big to fill the void â but the lights appeared to be too bright for the 23-year-old.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107.
The Thunder led by as many as 26 points and maintained a double-digit lead despite losing Jalen Williams to injury.
Dillon Brooks was the top scorer for the Suns, contributing 30 points.
The Thunder currently lead the playoff series 2-0 against the Suns.

Roberto GĂłmez critica a Arbeloa por su trato hacia Carvajal, capitĂĄn del Real Madrid.
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In the opening minutes of the first quarter, Ighodaro missed two point-blank chances at the rim, the first after a smart screen-and-slip and the second failing to convert over the much smaller Gilgeous-Alexander. At the other end, he appeared out of his depth physically against Isaiah Hartenstein and picked up two early fouls that forced Ott to turn to Khaman Maluach, the seldom-used rookie big, to attempt to stabilize the Suns.
Maluachâs first action was converting an emphatic two-handed alley-oop, quite the contrast to Ighodaroâs inability to make good on his clear-cut opportunities. Maluach took a wild 3-point attempt in the second quarter during a pivotal stretch of back-and-forth play, but otherwise offered solid output, being the preferred option down the stretch and finishing a team-best +10. Ighodaro had a better second half â but still finished -23, worst among all starters. A "better second half" won't cut it against an OKC team of this caliber.
Headed back to Phoenix in a 2-0 hole, it might be time for the Suns to consider a lineup change. One of their calling cards during an impressive season has been their roster flexibility, with multiple plug-and-play options that can peform when called upon.
Veteran forward Royce O'Neale, with 50 games of playoff experience under his belt, showcased why he deserves a nod heading into Game 3.
O'Neale has built a reputation for years as a switchable, hard-nosed, stable 3&D type, able to adequately space the floor, be a positive connector and also defend at a high level. Among players who took at least five 3s per game and appeared in 45 regular-season games, O'Neale posted the NBA's ninth-best 3-point percentage at 40.8.
He seized his opportunity off the bench Wednesday night, scoring 11 points in 17 first-half minutes, hitting all three of his perimeter looks and adding five rebounds, two assists and a steal. (He finished the game with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.) In addition to his ability to guard multiple positions, a much-needed skillset against the best team in basketball, there should be a place for O'Neale â who started 67 games this year â to reclaim his spot.