Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a thrilling overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on a night that celebrated the team’s recent championship triumph. Gilgeous-Alexander had an awful first half, but he grinded his way to 35 points. He sealed the victory by hitting a pair of pressure-packed free throws with under a second to go. The matchup took place at Paycom Center, where the Thunder received their championship rings and raised the banner commemorating last season’s success.
Through the opening minutes of the game, Gilgeous-Alexander had a hard time getting into a groove. After shooting just five shots from the floor in the first half, he had three turnovers and only one assist. His game seemed to come undone, and the Thunder were behind as they walked into the locker room at halftime.
As the game wore on, fortunes started to shift. Gilgeous-Alexander displayed amazing composure down the stretch. He finished with 12 points—more than he scored in the first three periods put together. His breakout game came when he made an impressive contested midrange pull-up jumper over Rockets’ guard Amen Thompson. With just three seconds remaining in regulation time, he scored to tie the game up!
After a dramatic finish to regulation, where the game was tied with just seconds to go, the game moved into overtime. The league MVP nominee had a rude awakening when rookie Tari Eason rejected his shot on a key late first OT possession. Even with this blow, he did not lose his focus or stop moving forward. He continued to hunt for his sweet spot with the Rockets dropping the defense. So naturally, he scored an additional 12 points in the two overtime periods.
With just 2.3 seconds left on the clock, Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul from Kevin Durant, a decisive moment that led to him stepping to the free-throw line. He just stepped to the line and buried both, clinching an extremely hard-fought victory for the Thunder.
“As the game went on, naturally the coverages got looser,” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander culminated the night with an impressive 12-of-26 shooting display from the field. He was off on his three-point attempts, hitting just 1-of-9 long-range tries. For that reason, no one was more important to his team than his ability to score in the clutch.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended Gilgeous-Alexander’s focus and fight all game long.
“He just stays in the game,” – Mark Daigneault
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about what he needs to do, admitting that he’s got to be better going forward.
“I need to be better,” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Even with that brutal beginning, the confidence of Gilgeous-Alexander grew as he picked up steam with every period. On one hand, his teammates saw the difference he made on both ends of the court. Alex Caruso noted:
“You can’t hold down great players all game,” – Alex Caruso
The night was about much more than personal awards. For Gilgeous-Alexander, this was a deeply personal experience as he participated in a pregame ceremony recognizing his team’s accomplishments from last season. He referred to that energy as “surreal,” enjoying the moments that made up their championship experience.
“It felt like it was going up for 10 minutes,” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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