Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wows NBA Fans as Thunder Take 2-0 Series Lead vs. Pelicans
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVApril 25, 2024
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked the part of the top seed in the Western Conference on Wednesday.
They cruised to a 124-92 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup at Paycom Center. They are now up 2-0 in the series and were far more dominant than they were in their Game 1 win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable on his way to 33 points and five assists on 13-of-19 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range, while Chet Holmgren also stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points and seven boards on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
Jalen Williams provided support with 21 points, seven assists and five boards, and all five Thunder starters finished in double figures.
The game was never truly in doubt during the second half despite 19 points from Jonas Valančiūnas for a Pelicans team that was still without Zion Williamson. It wasn’t nearly enough against SGA and Co., and social media had plenty of love for the star guard:
NBA @NBASGA FROM BEHIND THE BACKBOARD 😳
NOP-OKC on TNT pic.twitter.com/ifWXGMhwvl
NBA @NBA”That’s a baaaadd man right there”
SGA steps back for 24 in the game 🔥
NOP-OKC on TNT pic.twitter.com/x0JIC96glO
Carson Breber @CarsobiSGA is built for this moment. Impossible to stay in front of & dominant downhill guard, but the key is that he’s the best short midrange pull-up shooter in the LEAGUE with so many counters. Those shots are so valuable and reliable in the playoffs, and he’s nailing them.
Brandon Rahbar @BrandonRahbarShai Gilgeous-Alexander got big MVP chants after falling on the court.
No free throws. No points. Just Loud City letting SGA know.
TF @ThunderFocusWelcome to the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander experience America.
ThunderChets @ThunderChatsYALL WOKE UP A DEMON
SHAI IS LIGHTING UP THE PELS
Tayler Peterson @Tayler_P15Shai is fired up!!! That’s my MVP.
𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙖 @arkaavsPLAYOFF SHAI, ITS A THING.
Chet Muse @Holmgren_MuseShai and Chet Today pic.twitter.com/zJHHExwrsW
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportChet Holmgren rn:
17 PTS
6-6 FG
3-3 3PM
🔥 pic.twitter.com/mBr3nFmfUs
Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) @MikePradaNBANew Orleans takes JV off the floor, goes to a switch-everything approach, and SGA calmly picks out his matchup by setting all sorts of screens and holding them. OKC is such a smart offensive team.
Yaya Dubin @JADubin5Honestly kind of unfair that OKC had KD-Russ-Harden and 15 years later gets to run it back with SGA-Chet-J-Dub.
OKC is the top seed, but the first game was a back-and-forth battle that ended in a two-point win that Gilgeous-Alexander saved with an and-1 in the final minute. With Williamson once again sidelined, the home team surely hoped to avoid such a narrow contest this time around.
And it did just that.
The Thunder wasted no time jumping out to a 13-point halftime lead with Gilgeous-Alexander dancing through the Pelicans defense and Holmgren extending his game beyond the arc and scoring down low as a matchup nightmare.
The early efficiency from the Thunder stars helped make up for a strong start from Valančiūnas, who scored the first 11 points of the game for the Pelicans.
It was Brandon Ingram doing what he could to keep New Orleans within striking distance in the third quarter, but he could only do so much. Gilgeous-Alexander was in full control as he glided to the rim, hit from the outside and even created turnovers on the defensive side.
Thanks in large part to the MVP candidate’s individual dominance and a dialed in Thunder offense, the fourth quarter was all but a formality.
If the Pelicans aren’t much better at home for Saturday’s Game 3, this will be a quick series.
