Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff career-high 42 points to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 121-109 road win over the Phoenix Suns yesterday (Philippine time).
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player finished 15-of-18 from the floor with eight assists to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Oklahoma City has won 11 consecutive first-round games.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s previous playoff high was 40 points in Game 4 of last season’s Western Conference Finals against Minnesota.
Playing without Jalen Williams, the Thunder leaned even more heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit his first 11 shots, not missing until less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 points while Jalen Green added 26 points. Devin Booker scored 16 points.
Despite being without Williams, which moved Ajay Mitchell into the starting lineup, and Isaiah Joe, who was out for personal reasons, the Thunder reserves still dominated their counterparts. Oklahoma City’s bench outscored Phoenix’s 36-12.
The Suns were within nine early in the fourth quarter when Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in.
Moments later, Cason Wallace stepped into a passing lane, intercepted Devin Booker’s pass and fed to Gilgeous-Alexander for a layup on the other end, sending the Oklahoma bench into celebration while Phoenix called a timeout with the Thunder up 98-85 with 7:25 remaining.
Mitchell scored 15 points while Alex Caruso scored 13 off the bench.
Dillon Brooks scored nine consecutive Phoenix points to help his team pull within 10 with three minutes remaining, but the Thunder hit four consecutive free throws to maintain the double-digit advantage.
The Thunder took a 62-53 lead into halftime with a 12-2 run to close the second quarter.
Grayson Allen, who had missed the last five games with a hamstring injury, made his first appearance of the postseason, playing 17 minutes and scoring seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. (Field Level Media / Reuters)