Playoff basketball has always come down to stars.
That age-old truth has been in question this postseason. Indiana and Oklahoma City are as deep as any team in the league and those teams have used that depth to get to the conference finals. But on Monday, OKC proved that elite players still make the world go ’round in the NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined for 95 points, outdueling a Minnesota Timberwolves team that got 64 bench points and earning a 128-126 win.
If a Thunder fan had heard before the game that Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 23, Donte DiVincenzo had 21 and Jaden McDaniels had 22, they’d have assumed the series was tied. What that fan wouldn’t have taken into consideration is that Anthony Edwards scored only 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting and Julius Randle scored only 5 points.
The disappointing performance from Minnesota’s stars doomed its night, but it was the dominance from OKC’s Big 3 that defined the night.
Gilgeous-Alexander posted the best playoff game of his career, notching a near triple-double with 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, pacing OKC in each of those categories.
Just 48 hours after his worst performance of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander responded. He looked like the MVP. Where Edwards looked overwhelmed, Gilgeous-Alexander looked seasoned. Prepared for the moment and the stakes that came with it.
His scoring speaks for itself. It seems every game he ushers himself into a new conversation with the all-time greats when it comes to his ability to put the ball in the hoop. But it was his improved playmaking that made the two-point difference.
In past seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has looked slightly overwhelmed in the postseason. When the defense sells out to shut off the water of his scoring, he either hasn’t fully trusted his teammates, or they haven’t been ready to deliver, particularly from 3-point range.
Tonight, both things proved to be in the past.
Eight of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 10 assists were for 3s. He navigated double-teams masterfully. He turned his magnificent ability to score into an ability to play maestro that hasn’t been in his repertoire in past seasons. But for it to count, his teammates had to show up. And they did.
Williams was outstanding, scoring 34 points and serving as a dominant offensive creator when Gilgeous-Alexander was off the floor. He made six 3s, multiple of which were on catch-and-shoot opportunities off of looks from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Since his poor showing in Game 6 of OKC’s second-round series against Denver, Williams has looked like a superstar. His ability to attack off the bounce is reminiscent of that of Gilgeous-Alexander, but it has its own unique flair.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been the prototypical superstar. He draws the attention of the defense and is an offensive engine all by himself. But NBA history suggests that one superstar isn’t enough. Fortunately for OKC, Williams is emerging as a superstar himself.
He’s elite defensively. When his 3-ball is going in on offense, he can look like an unstoppable force. He is typically OKC’s best playmaker.
To win a championship, OKC is going to need Williams to look like he did Monday more often than not. And against Minnesota, he has looked like a player ready to permanently make the leap and deliver those types of performances going forward.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams were terrific and will rightfully get a lot of the public praise, but it was Holmgren who may have made the biggest play of the game.
With Minnesota having the ball and the momentum, with 42 seconds left, McDaniels drove on the bigger, slower Holmgren. McDaniels got Holmgren on his back hip, about to make a layup to cut the lead to three. Just then, Holmgren used his NBA superpower, perfectly timing a block from behind, erasing Minnesota’s best chance to cut it to a one-possession game with time to spare. Holmgren’s block set the stage for it to turn into a free-throw game late, and much to the chagrin of NBA fans everywhere, OKC has the best free-throw shooting star in the NBA outside of Steph Curry.
Holmgren had his own handful of monster 3s in the clutch, but it was his defense that changed the game for OKC. Edwards said Holmgren was OKC’s biggest difference-maker, and while the stats may suggest otherwise, there is a lens where that’s accurate.
OKC is now one win away from the NBA Finals. The world saw what can happen when Minnesota brings the intensity and OKC feels comfortable in Game 2, so if OKC wants to close out the series, it has to bring what it brought in Game 3. And if Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams can combine for anywhere near 95 points with the boost of home-team role players, OKC should be in good shape to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.
Excellent story!