Shai

Gilgeous-Alexander

With no Jalen Williams or Ajay Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander was once again in a position where he needed to put the Thunder on his back. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player was outstanding in Game 7, but the Spurs received more contributions across the board, and that was the difference. Gilgeous-Alexander was one of the best players in fantasy basketball this season, regardless of position, and that shouldn’t change anytime soon. Regardless of league format, SGA should go no lower than third overall in fantasy drafts next fall.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 15 points were his lowest total all season long and his -28 was his worst since last year’s conference finals. He was 6-of-18 and missed all five of his three-point attempts. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t able to bounce back in the second half as the Thunder lost the third quarter 32-13. He’ll need to bounce back in Game 7 on Saturday if the Thunder are going to repeat as Western Conference Champions.

The MVP rebounded from a subpar Game 4 to log his sixth 30-point game of the postseason. Half of his points came efficiently from the charity stripe, while solid three-point shooting helped him overcome a poor night inside the arc. SGA also struggled with six turnovers but was able to make up for his errors by nearly tallying double-digit assists. He’s had better games statistically, but his Game 5 performance was strong enough to help OKC take a 3-2 series lead.

The absences of Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) left the Thunder light on players capable of making things happen off the bounce in Game 4. That factored into San Antonio’s ability to pressure Gilgeous-Alexander more, but not with double teams as some may assume. The Spurs’ guards assigned to defend the two-time league MVP were more aggressive, forcing Oklahoma City’s “others” to do more offensively. They couldn’t answer the call, resulting in a 103-82 defeat. Game 5 is on Tuesday night, with the series tied at two games apiece.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić were first-team selections on all 100 ballots, while Wembanyama was selected on 99. Unsurprisingly, they were the three finalists for league MVP, with Gilgeous-Alexander winning the award for a second consecutive season. Dončić and Cunningham, who needed waivers from the league to be eligible for postseason honors, round out the first team.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have bounced back nicely after losing Game 1 of the series. The 27-year-old point guard scored 30 and 26 points in the last two games as Oklahoma City has managed to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is coming up on Sunday.

The MVP had a bounce-back performance on Wednesday after an unspectacular Game 1. He hit his first two shots of the night and proceeded to punish the Spurs’ defense the rest of the way, finishing as the only player to reach the 30-point mark. Gilgeous-Alexander also did a fine job of reading the defense and picking it apart with his passing. He finished just one assist shy of a double-double as the Thunder went on to even the series at one game apiece.

It certainly wasn’t the best performance for the back-to-back MVP, but SGA was able to make some big plays late in this game. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup with three seconds left to force overtime. However, he was held to just two points in the two extra periods, which led to OKC’s first loss of the postseason. He’ll need to be much better moving forward if they want to bounce back from this game on Wednesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player in league history to win consecutive Most Valuable Player awards. The 27-year-old point guard averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals. He was second in the league in points and first in plus/minus. Gilgeous-Alexander is in elite company now with multiple MVP awards. If the Thunder repeat as champions, he’ll join Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players to win back-to-back MVPs while also winning back-to-back championships.

Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from an unspectacular Game 3 to log a series-high in points, ending the Lakers’ season in four games. The reigning MVP was steady throughout the win, making subtle contributions as a scorer as the game progressed. Yet, he put his foot on the gas in the third quarter, scoring 12 points, before closing the show in the final frame to end with a game-high 35 points. SGA handled the defensive schemes well and patiently picked them apart to tally eight assists. He and the Thunder will get some rest as they await the winner of Timberwolves-Spurs, which is currently tied 2-2.