The Oklahoma City Thunder erased any lingering doubts about their status as the top seed in the West with a convincing 124-92 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of the first round playoff series.
Among the Thunder players making a statement in the cruising victory was league MVP contender shai gilgeous alexander The Oklahoma City star looked nearly unstoppable, shooting 13-of-19 from the floor for a playoff career-high of 33 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s exceptional performance concluded with a heartfelt tribute from Chet Holmgren, who seized the moment to praise his star teammate. Following the game at Paycom Center, Holmgren took hold of the microphone during a postgame interview to deliver a touching message.
Holmgren, with an arm around Gilgeous-Alexander, declared, “I got one more thing to say. He’s too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here. MVP of the league. Imma say it for him ‘cause he won’t say it.”
Holmgren also had a strong performance, shooting 9-of-13 from the field for 26 points and contributing seven rebounds. His impressive 15 points in the first quarter set a Thunder rookie record for most points in any quarter of a playoff game. Overall, the Thunder capitalized on New Orleans’ 18 turnovers and significantly outperformed the Pelicans’ offense, especially considering the absence of star player Zion Williamson.
