Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a rough night Wednesday. The impact of the All-Star guard has been tremendously beneficial for the Thunder. Unfortunately for Tatum, he hit a wall in this game, scoring just 24 points and adding four assists. This was a major drop off from his fantastic 34-point, eight-assist performance in Game 2.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s issues were on full display as he turned it over six times, a career high in the postseason for him. The Pacers were arguably the toughest defensive pressure he faced, blitzing him (sending two defenders at him) 12 times on the night. That was the most blitzes he’s seen in any playoff game in his career. In what would prove an even tougher fourth quarter, he was unable to execute. He had only three points on 1 of 3 shooting, while failing to register an assist.
As great as Gilgeous-Alexander was, to his credit, the Pacers’ defense played a role in throwing him off his rhythm. On those same 22 FG attempts, he was the primary defender—a single-game playoff record for any player. Defenders shot against him from a whopping 65.5 feet from the basket on average. This unyielding strain only compounded the fatigue he felt all over his body for the duration of the competition. The Pacers finished with a 32-18 advantage on the Thunder in the fourth quarter, further showcasing Indiana’s incredible start to finish show out.
Even with all of these factors working against him, Gilgeous-Alexander tamped down fatigue as an excuse for how he played in the fourth quarter. He underscored what it took to be tenacious at critical times.
“You got to suck it up,” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Teammate Andrew Nembhard dealt with all the focus on Luka by acknowledging the all heads on deck effort to defend against someone that gifted. The one thing that’s the worst is just you’re stubborn, you know, trying to give him a rocket. It’s a team job. We all need to be attuned and aligned on that side of the floor. That’s what gives you the right perspective,” Nembhard stressed. That’s how we’re going to get it done.
This playoff series has showcased the intensity and pressure of postseason basketball. With just four games remaining in the 2020-21 season, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s focus now is on bouncing back. They’re all looking to recalibrate their playbooks for the closing stretch to come.
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