Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifts Thunder past Pelicans in tight battle without Zion Williamson – MASHAHER

ISLAM GAMAL22 April 2024Last Update :
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifts Thunder past Pelicans in tight battle without Zion Williamson – MASHAHER


The New Orleans Pelicans came so close to pulling off a huge upset without star Zion Williamson on Sunday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, however, showed up at the very end.

Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to a tight 94-92 win late in what was perhaps the best Game 1 throughout the league this postseason. The Thunder — who snuck into the top seed in the Western Conference in the final days of the regular season and were hosting their first playoff game in exactly five years — became the eighth home team to win their playoff game this weekend, making for a perfect clean sweep.

The Thunder largely shut down in the second half of the fourth quarter. They went on a stretch where they failed to make a field goal for more than five minutes, which New Orleans took full advantage of. They mounted a dominant 18-6 run over that span to erase a double-digit lead and finally jump back in front after playing a step behind for much of the second half.

Finally, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a jumper to end the Thunder’s dry spell with just 90 seconds left to tie the game up. Chet Holmgren then came up with his fifth block of the night to set up a ridiculous and-one jumper from Gilgeous-Alexander on the next possession.

As that was going on, the Pelicans couldn’t make a shot. They went about three full minutes without scoring before CJ McCollum hit a mid-range jumper. While the Pelicans got one last look at a game-winner, McCollum missed his last shot to give the Thunder their two-point win.

The first half of the game wasn’t great offensively, and the two teams — who each managed just 17 points in the first 12 minutes — entered the locker room tied up 43-43. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only player on either team to hit double figures in the first half.

Despite not having Williamson, and getting only eight points on 3-of-10 shooting from Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans still managed to hang in there perfectly in the first half. There were 12 lead changes and 11 ties in the first half.

Just when the Thunder looked like they would finally pull away for good, thanks to a huge 11-0 burst midway through the third quarter, the Pelicans bounced right back. New Orleans responded with a 9-0 run itself to cut the deficit right back to a single possession — though a late Isaiah Joe 3-pointer ended up sending the Thunder into the fourth quarter with a six point advantage.

The Thunder quickly pushed their lead to double digits in the opening possession of the final period, too, but the Pelicans responded with back-to-back 3-pointers and a free throw to make it a one possession game right away again — which forced a quick Thunder timeout. That kicked off an extended 18-6 run, which put the Pelicans right back in again. That, though, is when Gilgeous-Alexander finished the night for Oklahoma City to lift them to the win.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Holmgren had 15 points and 11 rebounds ot go with his five blocks.

Trey Murphy led the Pelicans with 21 points, and McCollum finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points and 20 rebounds.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.


Source Agencies

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