1 Stud, 3 duds from OKC Thunder’s Game 2 loss vs Mavericks

Stud: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

To preface this, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in the MVP voting this season, had his fair share of lapses in Game 2. 

Most notable was that he allowed PJ Washington to an easy rim run from the baseline in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter. 

Surely, Shai would have wanted things to have gone better for him and the Thunder. 

"Certainly, on my part, had a few plays that I could’ve prevented had I focused better"

- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nevertheless, the franchise superstar was terrific on the offensive end, posting 33 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in the losing effort. 

He shot well at 13-of-24 from the field against the suffocating defensive scheme Dallas tried to put him on. SGA was crucial in keeping the Thunder afloat in certain stretches of the game. 

Simply put, Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the clear-cut best player on the court for most stretches of the game. 

However, the Thunder needed him to be the two-way monster he was in the regular season. Though he posted one steal and two blocks, his point-of-attack defense has to be sharper against the Mavericks’ shooters to prevent a repeat of their red-hot display.

Certainly, he and the team will have a lot of self-reflection before flying to Dallas for Game 3.