With 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander completely dominated this game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder earned a dominant Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns on the shoulders of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who delivered one of the most efficient scoring games for a guard in playoff history.
The likely back-to-back MVP finished the night with 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting from the floor and missed just one shot attempt from inside the arc. He was the catalyst from start to finish in a game that never really felt in doubt for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder won the first quarter by five points, won the second quarter by four points and then maintained control throughout the rest of the night before pulling away late behind more Gilgeous-Alexander heroics. It was the type of performance that showed exactly why Oklahoma City is the clear frontrunner in the Western Conference and why Gilgeous-Alexander continues to separate himself on the biggest stage.
With the win, Oklahoma City now leads the series 3-0. Game 4 will be back in Phoenix on Monday night, where the Thunder will have a chance to complete the sweep and shift their focus to the next round. That series would come against the winner of the Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers matchup, which the Lakers currently lead 3-0 as well.
Oklahoma City didn’t shoot great from beyond the arc in this game, hitting just 32.4% of its threes, but the Thunder won the rebounding battle, took great care of the ball and controlled the game for nearly 42 minutes. It was a wire-to-wire win in every meaningful sense, and now the defending champions are just one victory away from advancing to the next series.