SGA Talks 'Special' Jalen Williams After Career-High 34 Points in G4 Win vs. T-Wolves

Jalen Williams is doing an outstanding job of answering any questions about his ability to be a No. 2 option on a championship team after dropping a playoff career-high 34 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Speaking to reporters after the victory, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praised his "special" teammate for helping get Oklahoma City one win away from reaching the NBA Finals.

"He was special," Gilgeous-Alexander, who dropped 40 in the game, said. "He was really good tonight from start to finish. He picked his spots great. He was aggressive. He stepped into everything. He was who he is. He's gotten all these awards for good reason. He proved it tonight."

Despite winning an NBA-best 68 games in the regular season, the Thunder were still facing questions about their ceiling in the playoffs because they didn't have a proven scorer behind Gilgeous-Alexander.

It was fair to ask because Williams struggled in Oklahoma City's second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks last year. Those concerns didn't entirely go away this postseason, particularly when he had six points on 3-of-16 shooting in the Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Williams shifted the narrative immediately after that by scoring 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the 125-93 Game 7 win over Denver. He did have another dud in Game 3 against Minnesota with 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting, though everyone on the Thunder roster was bad in their 42-point loss.

Monday night saw Williams redeem himself in spectacular fashion. He had 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help the Thunder hold off Minnesota and take a 3-1 series lead.

The series will now go back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 with the Thunder having a chance to close it out on their home court. They are 7-1 at Paycom Center this postseason.