The Oklahoma City Thunder went home with a victory after the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buzzer-beater.
The Oklahoma City Thunder put together one of its most impressive performances of the season on Monday night.
In a rematch against the Denver Nuggets after an overtime victory less than two weeks ago, Oklahoma City was shorthanded, especially in the frontcourt, with neither of its starting centers available. On top of that, Jalen Williams was still out and Alex Caruso also missed the game, meaning the Thunder was without four of its best eight or nine players. And it came against Nikola Jokic, with a roster that did not have either of its seven-footers.
Still, the Thunder prevailed.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered an MVP statement game, and other players stepped up in bigger roles because of the injuries. In the 129-126 win, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, 15 assists, and nine rebounds. Jaylin Williams had 29 points and 12 boards while spending much of the night guarding Jokic and knocking down seven of his 11 attempts from 3-point range. Ajay Mitchell returned from injury and scored 24 points, while Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe each added 13 points off the bench.
This was a game where many of Oklahoma City’s biggest contributors were players who are normally reserves and role players, and in some cases, guys who do not even play every night when the team is fully healthy.
A couple of moments stood out for Gilgeous-Alexander. For starters, he scored 20 or more points for the 126th straight game, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the longest streak in NBA history. Then, of course, he hit two step-back 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds. One put Oklahoma City up four. The other won the game and set up the walk-off finish in MVP fashion.
It was an unbelievable performance from the Thunder, and a statement win against a team OKC eliminated in seven games last postseason and could very well see again in the playoffs this year.
From here, Oklahoma City will get some much-needed rest before taking on the Boston Celtics on Thursday.