Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the recent MVP of the NBA, scored an impressive 40 points—a new high for his postseason career—during Monday night’s game, leading his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a 128–126 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This win gives the Thunder a 3–1 advantage in the Western Conference finals.
SGA and the Thunder are now poised to return home with the opportunity to dispatch the Wolves and secure a spot in the NBA Finals, which would mark the team’s first return since 2012.
Before his 40-point achievement on Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander’s highest scoring in the playoffs was 38 points, a feat he reached twice. Both instances occurred in this postseason—recently in Thursday’s Game 2 against the Wolves and previously in Game 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies, which clinched the series for the Thunder.
In addition to scoring 40 points on Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander also registered 10 assists and nine rebounds in the narrow victory at the Target Center in Minneapolis. This performance came just two days after a significant 42-point defeat to the Wolves in Game 3, where SGA only managed 14 points. According to Real Sports, he is now the seventh player to achieve a 40-point, 10-assist game in the conference finals.
One key assist during the Thunder’s crucial win was when he managed to maintain his pivot foot and pass the ball to Jalen Williams for a critical three-pointer.
Williams contributed 34 points for Oklahoma City. The Thunder’s leading trio, comprising Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Chet Holmgren, amassed a total of 95 points, while their defense constrained Minnesota stars Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle to a mere 21 points combined.
The Thunder now look forward to closing out the series against the Wolves in Game 5, scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Further NBA Playoffs Coverage on Sports Illustrated
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