For the first time in 346 days, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to under 20 points, dropping 18 on 8-of-15 shooting in the club's semifinal Game 1 win over the Lakers Tuesday night.
The last time such an occurrence took place was in Game 3 of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, where the MVP posted a mere 14 points on a putrid 30.8 percent shooting from the floor.
What happened the very next outing in that series is something that should have Los Angeles on red alert as they head into Game 2 on Thursday, as Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for a whopping 40 points while nearing a triple-double by registering 10 assists and nine rebounds along the way.
With a history of major bounce-backs and the sheer fact that he posted averages of 27.7 points and 8.0 assists on 55.2 percent shooting from the floor and 38.5 percent shooting from deep against them in the regular season on his side, the Lakers may be in for a rough time in their second game of this best-of-seven series.
Lakers truly don't have an answer for slowing down Thunder
The Thunder and Lakers squared off against one another on four separate occasions during the regular season. OKC pulled out victorious from the series with a clean, 4-0 sweep.
Now, in this year's postseason, they're down 1-0 despite accomplishing what they had believed would be the best game plan for combating them -- limit Gilgeous-Alexander's free throw attempts.
Through five total games played between the two clubs, it seems more obvious than ever that Los Angeles has no real answer for slowing down the reigning champions.
If they prioritize trying to shut down Gilgeous-Alexander, his fellow running mates like Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain are more than capable of stepping up, as fans saw in Game 1.
Play traditional five-on-five, and watch the Thunder superstar erupt for his regular 30-plus points and spearhead the charge to an OKC win.
In Shai's eyes, this series against Los Angeles has already proven to be "very simple."
Though LeBron James may be good enough to steal one game on his own over the course of round two, the overwhelming expectation is that Oklahoma City will handily breeze through the semifinals and coast into their second consecutive conference finals with ample rest under their belts.
Needless to say, such a happening would be a true blessing for their currently hobbled star forward, Jalen Williams, and, simultaneously, the Thunder as a whole.
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