Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his 40th game of 30 or more points this season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in 30+ point games this season, and displayed his offensive brilliance against Kawhi Leonard, Tyronn Lue, and the rest of the Clippers in the Thunder’s hard-fought 101-100 victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely had his way with the Clippers defense in the second half of Tuesday’s game, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the second half and helping the Thunder come back from a 14-point deficit to win. LA’s defensive stalwarts in Leonard and Paul George tried their best, but they couldn’t contain the Thunder’s star guard in the second half.
“He’s just relentless,” Kawhi Leonard said of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Clippers’ loss. “Good handle, good shot, able to get to his spots, three-level scorer. He’s very talented, All-Star this year and he’s been improving.”
Kawhi Leonard on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
“Just relentless. Good handle, good shot, able to get to his spots, 3-level scorer. He's very talented, All-Star this year, and he's been improving.”
pic.twitter.com/tX3bSaIg5Q— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 22, 2023
SGA finished the game with 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 12-of-25 shooting. His quick first step and ability to score without a high volume of shots from beyond the arc makes him special, says Tyronn Lue.
“I think he has always played at his own pace,” Lue said. “That’s what’s good about being a big guard that you can kind of play at your own pace. never gets sped up. And then the biggest thing for me is he plays the right way. I think he takes what the defense gives him. He does a good job of getting to his spots, but he’s not forcing, like he never forces shots. Like he never takes bad shots.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was a first-time NBA All-Star this season, and he’s currently averaging a career-high 31.4 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 block on 51 percent shooting.
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“First of all he’s 6-foot-6, so he can get his shot off over anybody,” Tyronn Lue added. “And, when he gets to a spot midrange, it’s tough to try to block his shot or defend that. And then he has a quick burst that people don’t understand. Like you try to blitz him or if you’re late with your switches, he’ll turn the corner and he’ll go dunk it. So, he just kind of plays at his own pace. But he picks and chooses when he wants, when he wants to speed up.”
The Clippers will see Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder one more time on Thursday night, which will be the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season.