When the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament on Wednesday, they seemed to be a bit of an underdog, as the Pelicans possessed more offensive balance than they did.
But they were able to secure a 123-118 win, and they did so largely because of the play of their star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a game-high 32 points.
Former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins tweeted that he thinks Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to be on the All-NBA First-Team this season.
SGA is something SPECIAL… and that’s exactly why he got my vote for All-NBA 1st Team!!! That was an Impressive Win on the road for the young talented Thunder team!!! Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 13, 2023
Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first half of Wednesday’s contest, but he bore down afterward, going 8-of-12 from the field and making all eight of his free throws to score 25 points after intermission.
As a result, the Thunder will have the opportunity to reach the NBA playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in Friday’s play-in contest.
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t gotten the type of publicity other stars of his caliber enjoy, but he has emerged this season as something more than your garden-variety star.
He averaged 31.4 points, which ranked fourth in the NBA, plus 5.5 assists per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
Although at 6-foot-6 he weighs just 180 pounds, he does a lot of his damage in the paint, and he is also a free-throw magnet who averaged 10.9 foul shots while making 90.5 percent of them in the regular season.
At just 24 years of age, one has to wonder how much better Gilgeous-Alexander can get over the next few years as he approaches the start of his prime.
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Shannon Sharpe Lauds Dynamic Duo For Thunder Play-In Win
