NBA Playoffs: Thunder vs Suns Game 3 – SGA 42 Points, OKC Up 3-0

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posts career playoff-high 42 points

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 42 on 15-of-18 shooting as Thunder beat Suns 121-109. Oklahoma City can close series Monday in Phoenix. 

OKC eyes sweep Monday in Phoenix, repeat title bid alive. Gilgeous-Alexander scores 42 as Thunder push Suns to brink of sweep...

  

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 42 points in a ruthlessly efficient shooting performance Saturday, leading Oklahoma City to a 121-109 win over Phoenix and a commanding 3-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.

 

The reigning NBA MVP and a finalist for this year’s award, Gilgeous-Alexander went 15-for-18 from the floor en route to a career playoff high.

 

“I was just trying to let the game come to me and use my teammates as weapons,” Gilgeous-Alexander told NBC after the defending champion Thunder moved one win from the Western Conference semifinals.

“I know they’re going to try to make it tough on me, make me play in traffic,” added Gilgeous-Alexander, who went 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. “The guys did a great job of playing outside of that tonight. We looked pretty good out there.”

Gilgeous-Alexander hit his first nine shots before missing midway through the third quarter. He grabbed the rebound off that missed three and stepped in for a mid-range jumper.

Dillon Brooks scored 33 points for the Suns, who built an early nine-point lead and stayed close in the second quarter but couldn’t slow Gilgeous-Alexander late.

"I think we did a really good job of staying present."

SGA on winning Game 3, and the importance of executing on the road 😤 https://t.co/2xTaAARB7p pic.twitter.com/y0lQkkmW38

— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2026

“We just stuck with it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We did a good job of just staying true to who we are through the adversity, through the crowd, through a really good team on the road.”

 

Ajay Mitchell scored 15 points and Alex Caruso added 13 off the bench for the Thunder, who are trying to become the first repeat NBA champions since Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

They’ll try to complete the sweep in Game 4 on Monday in Phoenix, where the Suns know no NBA team has ever come back from 0-3 to win a playoff series.