Shai Gilegous-Aexander Born outside USA to win the latest player MVP
USA Today Sports’ Jeff Zillgit broke the MVP-caliber season by Shai Gilgas-Alexander of Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports pulse
Oklahoma City Thunder Rely on all the characteristics that took them to the best record of NBA at 68–14 and number 1 seed at the Western Conference.
Crime, defense, star power and depth carried out thunderous 128-126 Win in game 4 of the conference final on Monday, it is leading a 3–1 series lead for Thunder which can end the series at the game 5 Wednesday (8:30 pm ET, ESPN). Oklahoma City is trying to reach the NBA final for the first time since 2012.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgius-Alexander scored a playoff career-high 40 points, and All-NBA Forward Jalan Williams scored a playoff career-high 34 points for Thunder. Oklahoma City placed Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards for an uneven 16 points and Julius Randal for five points.
Here the winners and losers between Thunder and Timbervols are:
Thunder vs Timberwells Game 4 Winner
Shay Gilgius-Alexander
For the first time in his career last week, MVP nominated Gilgas-Alexander, for the first time in his career, reached 40 points in the playoff game, and this was the first time he recorded 10 assistors in the playoff game. He was a rebound shy of a triple-dabble and scored seven out of his 11-fourth-fourth point on the free throw-including five three throw in the last 14.5 seconds.
He has scored at least 30 points out of six of the last seven playoff games of Oklahoma City and an average of 30.1 points in four conferences final games.
Jalen Williams
Williams crossed his previous playoff high (32 points against Denver in overtime earlier this month) with 34 points – 14 was coming in the fourth quarter when Thunder needed his crime to close the Minnesota rally. He was 6-for-9 on the field 13-for-24 and 3-pointers, including a key 3 in the fourth quarter with a key 3, which pushed the OKC lead to play with 116–109 and 1:21 with 1:21, which gave the thunder a 123–116. He also had five assistance, three rebellions and three theft.
Chet holmagrain
Holmagren scored 21 points on 9 -for -14 shooting and added seven rebounds and three blocks. That two-way performance helped Thunder to create the number 1 defensive team and the number 3 aggressive team.
Minnesota bench
Nikkel Alexander-Wocker scored 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 5-for-8 on 3S, and Donate Divincanzo scored 21 points on 7-for-se-11 shooting, including 5-for-8 on 3s for Timberwells, whose bench produced 64 points. Naz Reid had 11 points and Terence Shannon Junior had nine.
Thunder vs Timberwells Game 4 Lost
Anthony Edwards ‘Scoring’
Edwards had 16 points on 5 -for -13 shooting and just 1 -for -7 on 3S. This is not enough – Timberwells requires more shooting and scoring than Edwards. This is the second time Edwards, who scored 27.6 points during the regular session, scored less than 20 points in the series.
Oklahoma City carried out another strong defensive gameplan due to dominating Edwards.
Julius Randle Production
Randals had only five points, there were 1-for-7 from the ground and all their three-points missed out on efforts. He had just six points in Game 2, and it is difficult for Timberwells to win the conference final when his second best scorer has less than 10 points.
Timbervols turnover
Minnesota coach Chris Finch has a turnover throughout the series, and Game 4 was another turnover-limit game for its squad. Timberwells turned 23 turnover for 22 thunderstorm points. That aspect of the game has turned into a major story of the series.
In Game 1 of the Western Final, Timberwells did 19 turnover, which was a pioneer for 34 Thunder points. In Game 2, Minnesota had 14 turnover which was a leader for 22 Oklahoma City Points. Timberwells lost both games. At home in Game 3, Timberwells changed basketball only 10 times for 15 Thunder points and won.
Late game “deliberately” dishonesty
With a thunder ahead 126–123 over 10 seconds, he played a foul game, stopping Minnesota from trying a possible score-hang 3-pointer.
Oklahoma City left the Naz Reid of Minnesota with 7.8 seconds and 7.2 seconds. Thunder made a dishonesty to give the first dishonesty and sent Reid to the second dishonesty on the free throw line. After the Reid, two free throw and Gilgus-Alexander made two free throw, thunder left Edwards with 3.5 seconds so that he could not try 3. Edwards remembered the first and intentionally another.
Thunder took a sound strategic decision for some, but it ended a great game.