SGA, Thunder Amaze NBA Fans With Onslaught in Blowout Win vs. Nikola Jokic, Thunder

The Western Conference's top seed is on the board in the second round.

The Oklahoma City bounced back from their Game 1 loss at home in demonstrative fashion with a blowout 149-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Wednesday's Game 2 at Paycom Center to even the series at one apiece. 

It was the exact type of response needed after Aaron Gordon stunned the crowd with a winning three-pointer in the final seconds of Game 1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points, eight assists and four rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting from the field as one of eight Thunder players in double figures.

Chet Holmgren (15 points and 11 rebounds) and Jalen Williams (17 points, seven assists and four rebounds) also played well in support, while fellow MVP candidate Nikola Jokić couldn't keep up with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Social media had plenty of love for Oklahoma City's effort:

It would have been easy for the Thunder to play tight while forcing the issue given the pressure they were facing as they attempted to avoid a 2-0 hole against a team with championship pedigree. Instead, they came out with a sense of urgency and jumped out to a commanding 24-point lead through the first quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the MVP while attacking the lane and facilitating, Holmgren stretched the floor, and the team as a whole shot 71.4 percent from the field with one turnover in an offensive onslaught.

And it didn't stop after those initial 12 minutes.

OKC made history and became the first team to ever score 87 points in the first half of a postseason game. All five starters and Aaron Wiggins were in double figures by intermission, while the defense made sure members of Jokić's supporting cast such as Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun never found their shooting stroke.

The theme of the second round to this point has been dramatic comebacks, which was on full display in Game 1 of this series.

But there would be no comeback this time.

Gilgeous-Alexander continued to glide past the defense while putting on a show with a mix of midrange jumpers, silky smooth floaters and even a dunk. Holmgren also put the finishing touches on his double-double, and the only question for much of the third quarter was how long it would be until both teams pulled their starters and turned their attention to Game 3.

Jokić provided the answer himself by fouling out in the third quarter, while the other headline names didn't play in the fourth.

Chances are, those starters will be in longer when the series shifts to Denver for Friday's Game 3.