Trailing and struggling, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ignited a late-game surge, securing a vital win and reinforcing his Clutch Player of the Year case.
Oklahoma City was in real danger of dropping its second game of the season last night. Portland’s size and defense clearly bothered the Thunder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was having his worst game of the season. Missing Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso also hurt Oklahoma City on both ends of the court.
Deni Avdija hit a free throw to cut the Thunder’s lead to five points with 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Up until this point, Gilgeous-Alexander only had 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field along with four assists and three turnovers.
But the dam finally burst when the Thunder needed him most. During the final 4:35 of the game, the reigning league MVP scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. He hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket and helped keep Portland at arm’s length.
Oklahoma City went on to win the contest by a score of 123-115 and subsequently moved to a 20-1 record. Only three other teams in NBA history have started a season 20-1 or better: the 1970 Knicks, 1994 Rockets and 2016 Warriors.
During Mark Daigneault’s post-game press conference, he said the following about finding ways to win games:
“We never take a win for granted. Every game presents different challenges. The challenge tonight was generating our own energy, fighting through a muddy start and staying with the game even though it wasn’t a perfect game…We showed the mental toughness to just stay with the game and let the game turn for us.”
The Thunder’s mindset and toughness certainly deserve a large share of the credit for its success in close games, but it also helps to have Gilgeous-Alexander on the court.
According to the NBA, a clutch game is defined as any game with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime and the point differential is within five points. The Thunder have only played nine clutch games this season because it routinely dominates opponents, yet Gilgeous-Alexander’s 80 total clutch points easily leads the league. For context, Tyrese Maxey is currently second in the NBA with 66 total clutch points across 14 clutch games.
Total clutch points has been the most reliable indicator of who receives votes for Clutch Player of the Year. As a result, Gilgeous-Alexander should be considered the early favorite to claim the award this season. It would be yet another bullet point on his extensive resume.