After a narrow Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the defeat but emphasized resilience heading into the rest of the series.
Speaking to reporters following the 121-119 loss at home, Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on the team’s mentality after dropping their first playoff game of the 2024–25 postseason.
“Yeah, it should be good. It should be fun,” he said. “We’re going to find out what we’re made of, what we’re really made of.”
Despite leading by 14 in the second half, the Thunder allowed Denver to storm back behind a 42-point, 22-rebound performance from Nikola Jokic.
The Thunder’s star guard addressed Oklahoma City’s decision to foul intentionally while up three with 10 seconds remaining, a strategy that backfired.
“It’s hard now because we lost, and it’s going to seem like we should have did the other thing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Tonight, it didn’t go in our favor.”
While some focus remained on the final defensive possession, Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out that the game was lost over the course of 48 minutes — not just the final seconds.
“No one expects to lose, especially that way,” he said. “But it’s the game of life… it’s about how you respond to getting knocked down.”
When asked about offensive struggles down the stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander credited Denver’s defense for disrupting Oklahoma City’s rhythm.
“They were just doing a good job of loading the elbows on drives,” he said. “There’s definitely things we could be better at tactically down the stretch.”
Teammate Jalen Williams echoed that sentiment, pointing to rebounding and late-game execution as key areas of improvement.
“Rebounding,” Williams said flatly. “They got a lot of second chance opportunities and points.”
Denver outrebounded Oklahoma City 63–43 and outscored them 36–29 in the fourth quarter.
Despite the outcome, Gilgeous-Alexander dismissed comparisons to earlier collapses in the regular season and remained focused on recovery.
“We didn’t expect our whole run to be sunshine and rainbows,” he said. “It’s about how we respond.”
Game 2 is set for Wednesday in Oklahoma City as the Thunder aim to even the series.
