Suns Owner Releases Statement After Playoff Sweep vs Thunder

The No. 8 seed Phoenix Suns suffered a first round playoff sweep against the No. 1 seed, reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

On Monday night, the Suns dropped their fourth consecutive game with a 131-122 final score at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center. This final score marked the closest game of the first round series, as each of the first three games were decided by double-digit victories for the Thunder.

Suns owner Mat Ishbia released a public statement on social media following his team’s Game 4 loss.

“Losing is never easy, but I feel really good today about our team and am already thinking about where we go from here,”

Ishbia wrote on X. “I'm so proud of this season and want to thank every single person who made this year possible. First, thank you to the fans who supported our team every single day… and the players, coaches, front office, and entire organization who worked so hard to give our community a team to be proud of.

“So many fans have told me how much they loved cheering on this team and were proud of how we competed for 48 minutes every game. This season introduced a new era of @Suns basketball and we have a lot more work to do, which I am truly excited about, and we are just getting started!”

Ishbia officially completed the purchase of the Suns in February of 2023. That same year, Phoenix made a run to the second-round of the NBA playoffs - where the team ultimately fell in six games to the Denver Nuggets.

The Suns have not made it past the first round of the playoffs since.

The Thunder will advance to play against the winner of the first-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. The Lakers currently lead that series 3-1 as it heads back to Los Angeles for Game 5.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:23 AM.