The OKC Thunder were able to secure a dominant win in Game 1 of their Conference Semis series against the Dallas Mavericks. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the young side demolished their opponents 117-95 at the Paycom Centre. The Candian guard scored 29 points on 42.1% shooting from the field. He also had 9 assists and as many rebounds in the 36 minutes that he played on the night.
Shai was well-supported by his co-stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who combined for 37 points to ease things for OKC. Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins also had huge contributions from the bench as they added 11 and 16 points respectively for the OKC Thunder. The team were terrific on the defensive end as they did well to contain the backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. While the duo combined for 39 points, they were not able to wreak havoc as they were constantly put under pressure by the Thunder defense.
Daniel Gafford had another good outing as he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 boards in the game. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end with 5 blocks against the Thunder. Despite the Mavericks’ effort, the young side proved just too good on the night as they kept making buckets to make things difficult for Dallas. Mark Daigneault will be hoping to see a similar effort from this team in Game 2 as anything short of that could prove to be fatal to their chances against the fiery Mavericks.
OKC Thunder are playing like a veteran team
OKC Thunder made their way into the Conference Semis after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans. Not many expected them to make it out of the first round that comfortably, but they managed to seal the deal with relative ease. The young side showed once again why they finished as the number one seed when they dominated the Mavs in Game 1 of the Conference Semis.
Containing Luka Doncic is not easy, especially in the playoffs where he elevates his game. The Thunder side were able to restrict him to a mere 31.6% shooting, which indicates how brilliant they were. Size was going to be a big factor for OKC coming into this series as Dallas had a lot of talented bigs. However, they showcased their will and outpowered the Mavs’ bigs to completely outrebound them in Game 1. Thunder had 52 rebounds, which was 13 more than what the Mavericks had. They also had more steals, which is a testament to their hardwork during the win.
Undoubtedly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for them with a 29-point outing. But his teammates also stepped up and helped on both ends to secure the win for the Thunder. The team are young, but the fact that everyone is well-versed in their role is what makes them special. They have a long way to go before they can think of a championship. But if the team continue playing high-octane basketball, the Thunder could bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to the city of Oklahoma
