Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, Canada had a spectacular regular season in being named league MVP. After 15 playoff games in 2025, Gilgeous-Alexander is having a spectacular postseason too.
On Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander had the best NBA playoff game of his career. He scored a postseason high 40 points in a 128-126 Thunder win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the victory, the Thunder took a three games to one series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 13 of 30 field goals, two of seven three point shots, and 12 of 14 free throws. He also had a double-double (playoff high 10 assists), nine rebounds, one steal, and was a +5.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s previous career-high in playoff points was 38 points, a feat he has accomplished twice. They came in game four of the first round (a 117-115 Thunder win over the Memphis Grizzlies on April 26), and in game two of the Western Conference Final (a 118-103 Thunder win over the Timberwolves on May 22). Gilgeous-Alexander’s regular season career high is 54 points, which came on January 22, in a 123-114 Thunder win over the Utah Jazz.
In the Thunder win on Monday, four Oklahoma City players reached double digits in points. Joining Gilgeous-Alexander, shooting guard Jalen Williams of Denver, Colorado had a postseason career-high 34 points, center Chet Holmgren of Minneapolis, Minnesota had 21 points, and shooting guard Alex Caruso of College Station, Texas had 10 points off the bench.
What we also saw from the Thunder on Monday was team unity. It could have been easy for the Thunder to fall apart after losing by 42 points in game three. But the Thunder did an admirable job in regrouping and coming away with a gritty two point road win to take the commanding series lead.
