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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the playoffs with an impressive 118-112 victory over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak preview on Wednesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander enhanced his credentials as favourite for the Most Valuable Player award with a superb performance to silence Boston's TD Garden home crowd in an absorbing duel settled by a burst of fourth-quarter Thunder scoring.
The Canadian point guard shot 11-of-20 from the field to finish with five rebounds, seven assists and 34 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. The win lifted Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City to 54-12, and guaranteed their place in next month's playoffs.
Wednesday's win over a vastly more experienced Boston line-up marked another mature display from a Thunder side that is the youngest in the league. Oklahoma City effectively sealed victory late in the fourth, pulling away to open up a double-digit lead with just under two minutes remaining after Cason Wallace nailed a superb 24-foot three-pointer followed by a driving reverse layup.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder's defensive solidity amid a barrage of 63 attempted threes from Boston had provided the foundation for the win. "We were able to get stops, and that's been the trend for us recently," Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. "When you're coming down the stretch against a good basketball team with good players, you've got to find a way, and we did so tonight and gave ourselves a chance."
While Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the scoring headlines, the towering Chet Holmgren caught the eye with a double-double of 23 points with 15 rebounds. "We all the know the player Chet Holmgren is," Gilgeous-Alexander said of his 22-year-old team-mate. "He's a stud, and he's going to be stud for a very long time. He'll continue to grow and continue to be special."
