After having set the record for the largest margin of victory in a series opener this past weekend, with their 118-99 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday night, the OKC Thunder cemented their status as number two on the all-time list for largest point differential in the first two games of a playoff series.
Oklahoma City took care of business on both ends of the floor in Game 2 and, once again, saw multiple players step up while superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still finds himself falling short of his MVP-level of play.
Though there were several standout performances witnessed on the night, such as Chet Holmgren's 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks stat line, there's a case to be made that no one had as much of an impact on the game as Alex Caruso.
Game 2 proves why Thunder were right to trade for Alex Caruso
In his 22 minutes of action, Caruso was an absolute beast in virtually every aspect of the game, as he stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block while registering the highest plus-minus on the night at +18.
Behind his top-flight hustle and lights-out shooting touch (converted on 50.0 percent of his attempts from distance), the 31-year-old reminded everyone why he's one of the elite 3&D contributors in the game today and, more importantly, further strengthened OKC's justification for trading for him last summer.
Though the idea of swapping out a recent top-10 NBA Draft pick still attached to his rookie-scale deal for a role player nine years his senior may have been a bit shocking at the time, throughout his debut campaign with the Thunder, Caruso has continuously proven Sam Presti and company right for their decision.
With his league-best defensive rating of 102.5 and fourth-best net rating on OKC (both minimum of 50 games played), the guard's impact on the game is as well-documented in the advanced metrics as they are the eye-test.
Frankly, it's no wonder he finished as a finalist in the league's Sixth Man of the Year race this season.
Now, on top of all this, it seems his familiarity and experience winning in the postseason have allowed his contagious play to carry on over into this first-round series against Memphis and, hopefully, throughout what many expect to be a long and prosperous run.
All of this for a player who, not only will likely cost a fortune to retain this summer, but seemingly crumbled during this year's Play-In Tournament with Chicago, now seems like a bargain 10 months removed from the initial transaction.
Following Tuesday's Game 2, the Thunder are likely thanking their lucky stars that the lottery-bound Bulls participated in such an exchange.