Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t shot well for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 2025 MVP candidate and league’s top scorer has only gone 14-for-42 from the field (33.3 percent) en route to accumulating 42 points in the first two matches.
Despite this, the Oklahoma City Thunder are up 2-0 after blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies twice at home, prompting Gilgeous-Alexander to praise the team’s balanced attack during their Game 2 victory last Tuesday.
“I feel like I’m getting looks I usually make and just missing them,” Gilgeous-Alexander explained via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “That’s part of basketball. It’s ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we’ve won two games by a decent margin. They’ve had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon.”
“It’s nothing new,” he added about Oklahoma City’s depth. “We’ve seen it all year. It’s why we have the record we have.”
Oklahoma City Thunder News: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws praise for his intangibles
Despite having another off-night in Game 2, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still contributed big to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 2 win against the Memphis Grizzlies by notching eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. With him on the floor in the series, Oklahoma City have outscored Memphis by 40 points.
“He does so much (more) through the complete course of the game than just scoring for our team, and I think that’s showing up,” Alex Caruso said about Gilgeous-Alexander.
“He might miss a couple shots that look routine that he might normally make. But if we’re winning games how we’re winning them and he’s having average days, I think that bodes well for us forward,” he concluded.
