Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC Thunder faced a tough challenge Wednesday night against defending champion Boston Celtics without their first All-Star Jalen Williams. The versatile guard forward won’t travel to Boston with his team and could miss the entire three-game road trip this week.
“SGA” provided MVP-level performance, pouring game-high 34 points and leading the Thunder to a fierce 118-112 victory, securing a postseason berth.
He put on a heavy scoring load early on. He dropped 11 points in the first quarter, with OKC holding a 33-30 lead after 12 minutes.
•
The Thunder bench played a key role in keeping them in the game in the second quarter, with Boston still holding the hot shooting.
“SGA” concluded the first half with five points, including a 7-3 run, to send OKC to Halftime with a 63-60 advantage, including a buzzer beater who marked his 10,000th career point.
In the second half, “SGA” created a play that was important to stop the surge in all Celtics. In the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter, he scored or supported 13 of the Thunder’s final 17 points, sealing the victory.
Below is the complete statistics from Shy Gilgas Alexander.
Mark Deenoo sees Steph Curry’s tints at Shy Gilgauss Alexander
The OKC Thunder and the Golden State Warriors have been part of some memorable fights this season. During the All-Star Weekend in February, Thunder coach Mark DeGreen spent some time praising warrior superstar Steph Curry when asked about the NBA face debate.
“As his star brightened up, he became a better ambassador, a better face in the community, a better face in the franchise, a better teammate, a higher personality. That’s the feeling I get from afar.
He then paints a comparison with Shy Gilgaus Alexander, believing in the league’s maturity and steady rise.
“I think we have a guy like that. He’s got a fast, almost linear rise in the NBA and he did it with boldness and humility, so he was very impressive,” Daigneault said.
“In a closed room and our environment, he’s almost impressive when he brings him around him like that. It’s not a supporter of that. I have an incredible confidence in what he can do with shy.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steph Curry were the top two security guards in this year’s All-Star vote. Both are on track for the All-NBA selection, with “SGA” emerging as the forefront of MVPs.
Edited by John Ezekiel Hero