Peter Okereke
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s season ended in a 111-103 Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, with the Spurs advancing to the NBA Finals to face off with the NY Knicks.
OKC finished the regular season 64-18, while San Antonio entered at 62-20. But the Spurs had already troubled the Thunder throughout the year, winning four of five regular-season matchups and eliminating them in the NBA Cup semifinals.
During the latest Game 7 defeat to the Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up a stellar performance with 35 points, nine assists, three steals, and four rebounds, while shooting 12-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line in 43 minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander also led all players in assists and made 6-of-7 non-paint two-point attempts, repeatedly generating offense under heavy defensive pressure.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Revealed Major Regret After Series Loss vs. Spurs
But despite the painful loss, the point guard praised the Thunder’s supporting cast for keeping the team competitive throughout the series until he found his touch in Game 7.
“They played their butts off, and the reason why we got to this point in the series is because the supporting cast was amazing in this series,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.
“Hats off to them. They were big-time. I wish I was a little bit more myself throughout the series, give them more of a boost,” he added.
Oklahoma City played the series without crucial offensive support for large stretches. Jalen Williams, an All-NBA selection, aggravated a left hamstring strain in Game 2 and managed only 10 ineffective minutes for the remainder of the series before being ruled out for Game 7.
Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell suffered a right calf strain in Game 3 and missed the rest of the series. Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren also were largely ineffective offensively in the finale, combining for 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, with Holmgren finishing with just four points, four rebounds, and two shot attempts in 33 minutes.
As a result, Cason Wallace shouldered the burden for Oklahoma City, recording 17 points, four steals, and 5-of-9 shooting from three, including 14 points in the fourth quarter as the Thunder attempted to keep pace with San Antonio’s late-game charge.
But Victor Wembanyama put up an outstanding performance, leading the Spurs with 22 points as San Antonio shot 61% in the fourth quarter to close out the game and claim the series.
