After a two-game absence due to a nagging quad ailment, superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to action on Eastern Sunday in what turned out to be a mesmerizing night for the OKC Thunder.
Playing on the road versus a tough and scrappy New York Knicks team, Oklahoma City fought admirably against Jalen Brunson and company, as both clubs traded blows left and right and registered 12 lead changes through 48 minutes of action.
Of course, keeping it close proved to be the death knell for the Knickerbockers, as Gilgeous-Alexander ultimately made them pay in the closing seconds of regulation when he hit the clutch turnaround fader that nabbed the Thunder the late lead at the 1.8 mark.
Following such a play, the 25-year-old would focus his efforts on the defensive end where he perfectly contested Brunson's would-be game winner and, in turn, sealed his club's 52 win on the year.
Despite a slow start, SGA once again showed the world why he's in such strong consideration for this year's league MVP award, and, following their triumphant contest, his backcourt cohort Josh Giddey went on to drop a praise-filled take on the superstar, starting his comments off with a sentimental three-word message: "That's our guy."
Josh Giddey praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after epic Thunder win
"That's our guy. I think everyone knows we're going to him for the game. Whether he had two points or 50 points he's getting the ball. We all trust him to make that play. He's a superstar in this league and they're the type of plays he makes and we want the ball in his hands in that type of situation."Josh Giddey
After his previously mentioned sluggish start (7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound in first half), Gilgeous-Alexander wound up having himself a quality finish to the contest, as he still wrapped up with a solid stat line of 19 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal.
Fortunately, while struggling early on, guys like Giddey and Jalen Williams managed to hold down the fort, as the former dished out six of his total 12 assists in the first half while the latter recorded 17 points of what ended up being a 33-point outing.
With these efforts, the Thunder ended up clinching their first postseason berth since 2020 and, simultaneously, re-took the Western Conference's top seed away from the Denver Nuggets.