SGA Says Thunder Were 'Desperate' in 43-Point Game 1 Win vs. Nuggets After Game 1 Loss
Desperation is usually when bad things happen to teams, but the Oklahoma City Thunder used it to their advantage with an impressive 149-106 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets.
Speaking to reporters after the win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explained the Thunder
"came out desperate" because they understand the difficulty of trying to climb out of an 0-2 hole.
"We knew what was at stake tonight," he said.
The Thunder fumbled away Game 1 by blowing a nine-point lead in the final 2:40 of the fourth quarter. They had a series of miscues down the stretch, including two missed free throws by Chet Holmgren with nine seconds to play that set up Aaron Gordon's game-winning three.
There was no real drama on Wednesday night, as the Thunder jumped out to a 45-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The margin never got within 20 points after Luguentz Dort's three with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter extended the lead to 33-13. The Thunder led by as many as 48 points in the fourth quarter.
Leading by 20 has not been a great safety net for teams in the second round. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are a combined 0-3 in their current series when they have led by at least 20 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander played his best game of the postseason. He scored 34 points on 11-of-13 shooting with eight assists and four rebounds.
Had the Thunder lost, the questions about their ability to win a title with this core group would have gotten louder. They would also need to try getting back in the series against the Nuggets with the next two games going to Denver.
One benefit to the blowout for both teams is that none of the starters had to play a lot of minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray were the only players on the floor for more than 30 minutes.
These two teams split their four meetings in the regular season, with each winning one game on the other's home floor.
The Thunder will attempt to keep their positive momentum against the Nuggets going in Game 3 at Ball Arena on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
