Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered another star turn as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 120-107 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. He finished with 37 points and nine assists, then used his postgame session to underline how the Thunder closed the game.
“They do the right things out there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Phoenix. “I think we just stuck with the game and tried to do the right things on the other end of the floor, and it was working for us.”
Oklahoma City led 65-57 at halftime and pushed the margin to 100-77 after three quarters, but the Suns trimmed it to 10 in the fourth before the Thunder answered again. Gilgeous-Alexander said the key possession came after the Suns’ late surge when Oklahoma City turned to a trusted young shooter.
“Coach drew up a play obviously for me to get downhill,” he said. “From there I just try to make them make a decision and then the read just opened up.”
That read led to a pass for Ajay Mitchell, who buried a pressure shot to stabilize the Thunder’s lead. “Ajay’s a really good basketball player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Ajay made a big time shot to give us a little bit more cushion going down the stretch. He’s been big for us so far.”
The Thunder guard also credited the team’s fourth-quarter poise after the Suns’ run. “We just strung stops together, getting out running,” he said. “The way they play basketball, it’s going to be hard to put them to sleep.”
Phoenix relied on Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker and Jalen Green to keep fighting, and Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the Suns’ style created a real playoff challenge. “They play hard, they play together, they play the right way,” he said. “Even if the shots aren’t falling for them, they’re going to stay in the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s own efficiency rebounded after a rough Game 1, when he shot 5-for-18. On Wednesday, he went 13-for-25 and said his mindset stayed simple. “Just stay in the moment, be aggressive. Stay in the game most importantly,” he said. “Adrenaline will carry me through no matter what.”
He also addressed what being clutch means beyond scoring. “You got to score to win,” he said, “but there’s two sides of the ball and you have to get stops if you want to win.”
Asked what he wants to be remembered for in those moments, Gilgeous-Alexander answered, “Fearless maybe. Just a guy that can be trusted down the stretch.”
When the conversation turned to the physical tone of the game, including his exchanges with Brooks, he kept it short. “Play ball,” he said.
