Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 as Thunder roll past Nuggets 149-106, tie West semis at 1-1

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 factors in three quarters, and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder set league and workforce data in a 149-106 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night time that tied the Western Convention semifinal sequence at one recreation apiece.

Oklahoma Metropolis set an NBA playoff document for first-half factors with 87, surpassing the 86 scored by the Cleveland Cavaliers towards the Golden State Warriors in Sport 4 of the NBA Finals on June 9, 2017. Chet Holmgren, who missed two important free throws late in Sport 1, made a pair with one second remaining within the second quarter to set the document and provides the Thunder an 87-56 lead.

The Thunder tied the document for factors in any half of a playoff recreation. Milwaukee had 87 within the second half towards Denver on April 23, 1978.

“Basically it was one team playing tonight,” Denver middle Nikola Jokic mentioned.

The highest-seeded Thunder wished to keep away from taking a 2-0 deficit on the highway. Oklahoma Metropolis grew to become the primary house workforce to win a recreation within the second spherical. Sport 3 is Friday in Denver.

“We knew what was at stake tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “We came out desperate. We wanted to just take care and control the things that we knew we could. And we did a pretty good job of that, specifically to start the game. The start carried us through the rest of the night.”

Gilgeous-Alexander made 11 of 13 subject objectives, all 11 of his free throws and had eight assists. He led eight gamers who scored in double figures.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned Gilgeous-Alexander did far more than rating.

“He made them pay when they overhelped on him,” Daigneault mentioned. “He had the ball ahead of them all night, so he got his teammates shots, too. It wasn’t just a one-man show. He was super efficient. I mean, he had an unbelievable blend tonight.”

Jokic, who had 42 factors and 22 rebounds in a Sport 1 win, had simply 17 factors and eight rebounds on Wednesday earlier than fouling out late within the third quarter.

Russell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 19 factors. Oklahoma Metropolis’s crowd cheered for the ex-Thunder star when he entered Sport 1 as a reserve, however the followers modified their method and booed him shortly after he entered Sport 2. Westbrook bought known as for a technical foul moments later, and Gilgeous-Alexander made the free throw to make it 34-13.

The Thunder led 45-21 on the finish of the primary quarter after taking pictures 71.4% from the sphere and setting a workforce document for factors in 1 / 4 in a playoff recreation.

“We got punked, and we didn’t play well enough and they came out with the right intensity,” Denver interim coach David Adelman mentioned. “We didn’t.”

Oklahoma Metropolis continued its dominance within the second quarter. A lob from Gilgeous-Alexander to Jalen Williams for a two-handed jam gave the Thunder a 78-43 lead.

Oklahoma Metropolis led 124-76 after three quarters. The most important lead was 49 factors.

Adelman mentioned he wouldn’t decrease the loss, though the Nuggets head again to Denver with home-court benefit.

“I’m not sitting here tonight talking about the 1-1 thing tonight,” he mentioned. “Not tonight. We’re not going to flush that. We’ve got to be better. We know that. That being said, it’s nice to know that you got a win underneath your belt.”

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