Should the Oklahoma City Thunder be up 2-0 in the NBA Finals? Inarguably, yes. But it’s not.
Because of Tyrese Haliburton’s Game 1 heroics, Game 2 was a must-win for OKC — and it knew it.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC to a 123-107 win to tie the series at one game apiece as it heads to Indiana on Wednesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance was to be expected. The MVP scored 34 points and had eight assists. He also turned in a high-level defensive performance with four steals and solid on-ball defense.
So, by the stats, he was worse than he was in Game 1, but this time, OKC won by 16. Why, despite nearly equivalent Herculean efforts, did one game’s result differ so greatly?
He had some help.
After a dismal Game 1, Chet Holmgren responded early, scoring nine points in the first quarter and bringing his usual intensity on defense. Jalen Williams was also better. He scored 19 on an inefficient 5 of 14, but he showed up more on the defensive end and in making the connective plays.
Holmgren and Williams improved, but still have a ways to go to maximize what OKC can do in this series. It wasn’t even them that swung the game toward the Thunder. It was Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins.
Gilgeous-Alexander penetrated the defense whenever he wanted, just as he did in Game 1. But this time, when he passed it out, his teammates looked prepared, and it was Wiggins and Caruso who most capitalized on the moment.
Wiggins, who has struggled to make a difference in the playoffs, looked like the version of himself that OKC fans saw throughout the regular season. In the first half, he hit two off-the-dribble 3s, including one that involved a ‘tween-stepback combo.
His 3-point prowess carried over into the second half. Eventually, he upped his total to 5 3s and 18 points.
Caruso, as he has so often in these playoffs, made a huge difference.
He was rabid defensively and he brought an unexpected offensive punch. Caruso scored 21 points and hit a bevy of timely 3s.
When Gilgeous-Alexander has help, and more specifically, spacing around him, he becomes an unstoppable offensive force, especially when he’s hitting his midrange shot with the efficiency he was Sunday night.
Tonight, it was Caruso and Wiggins who unlocked his full potential as a plus-playmaker, elite scorer and pesky defender. And when he’s at his peak form, few can keep up with OKC.
As we advance, the story will continue to be who else, other than Gilgeous-Alexander, steps up. He’s going to get whatever he wants. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said as much following Game 2. But if he can get help from Williams and Holmgren in creating, and a few of the others in providing floor spacing, Indiana, and any team, is going to have trouble containing OKC.
