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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren lead OKC Thunder past Golden State Warriors in OT
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- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren lead OKC Thunder past Golden State Warriors in OT
SAN FRANCISCO — With an erupting, territorial Chet Holmgren claiming his stakes in the distance, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked on with his mouth agape.
The rookie had just connected on the biggest shot of his young career. The All-Star had helped put them in position for overtime. Perhaps neither knew what the moment signified for the early ruling on their dynamic.
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All that raced through Gilgeous-Alexander was awe.
"Disbelief," SGA said he felt after Holmgren's buzzer-beating 3 forced overtime. "It just seemed crazy. It felt like a movie in the moment."
They fed off each other like Yin and Yang. Like Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, like Joey and Chandler. Twin flames jumping to similarly unquenchable heights.
The point guard's gravity left Holmgren room to explode for his best game as a pro. The big fella's presence forced Golden State to stay honest with SGA as time dwindled. Neither could decide who'd put away the Golden State Warriors in a signature, 130-123 overtime thriller of a win .
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After Holmgren entered overtime with all but one of his career-high 35 points, Gilgeous-Alexander saw the bat signal. The unspoken, unwritten but fully understood notion that the sea had finally parted for him. And in five final minutes, he outscored the Warriors, dominantly rattling off 10 points to finish with a game-high 40 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
After an unfamiliar SGA showing Thursday, Steve Kerr hoped to make him nearly invisible Saturday.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, scores against Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, middle, and forward Dario Saric during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The Warriors doubled him high near halfcourt. They sent a second defender to cut him off at the nail. They sent a late, low help man to alter his drives. For the better part of 30 minutes, Golden State wanted it out of SGA's hands entirely. His eight first-half points were the product.
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In that same time, Stephen Curry 's return was an immediate key.
To unlock Klay Thompson , who boasted three 3-pointers and 12 first-half points days after being spooked. To unlock the short roll with Andrew Wiggins . Or Kevon Looney . Or whoever he handed it to. To unlock Golden State's offense in general, which cruised to 17 assists and 15 free throws through 24 minutes.
Curry (25 points, 8-for-21 shooting, seven rebounds) and Thompson watched as OKC ran them off the line and into short rolls and ball movement. All of that ceased toward the end of the third quarter.
The Thunder, as it's done with SGA at the helm, went nuclear: A 16-6 run through the final five minutes, mostly by way of Gilgeous-Alexander in typical fashion. OKC held Thompson and Curry to a combined 5 of 16 in the second half.
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Holmgren looked too liberated. Too many inside baskets, too much freedom along the perimeter when driving closeouts. Too often finding himself diving or timing his positioning perfectly.
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Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren, left, makes a 3-point basket while being defended by Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and forward Kevon Looney during the second half of Saturday's game in San Francisco.
So much so that the Warriors' decisions grew that much tougher while watching an 18-point lead dissipate.
"The advantage isn't gonna be in my hands if I'm trying to be all pretty on the perimeter all game long," Holmgren said. "I can't have too much pride to get in there and get dirty."
Never in Dr. James Naismith's wildest, peach-basket, girdle filled dreams could he have imagined the offensive back-and-forth that unfolded in Saturday's fourth quarter.
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An Andrew Wiggins redemption game — 31 points, a near game winner and five 3s after entering the game a 13.5% shooter from deep this season. A showing from a player as skilled and fulfilling as Gilgeous-Alexander. A human that can do the things Holmgren did.
But perhaps neither did any of them.
As Gilgeous-Alexander watched Holmgren flail and rejoice and bask in his moment, he was too stunned to speak. But it was clear — the way SGA's fluid movements and jerky pace has always extended favors was returned to him Saturday. The moment meant everything. But the gravity, the shotmaking, and the execution from Holmgren wouldn't end once Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his jaw.
"There's never like an epiphany game, it builds over time," coach Mark Daigneault said. "Their chemistry in the two man game is better than it was at the beginning of the year, and hopefully it's better a week from now."
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Holmgren's early-career moment
The moment, according to Holmgren, began well before Daigneault drew up the play.
Before he botched Jalen Williams ' assist with less than 30 seconds to play. Before his shot clock violation with under a minute, failing to chuck a shot as time expired. Before he gave Curry room to drain a late 3 on a switch.
Holmgren remembered all of it. He listed all of it before freely talking about his shot to finish regulation, likely the most important of Saturday's game. He'd just been thankful for Daigneault's trust in playing through mistakes.
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"Credit to coach for still having the confidence in me to go out and execute," he said.
Then the moment itself began with a Josh Giddey inbound pass, of course. A perfect bounce pass into Holmgren's shooting pocket. A practice-esque turn into a turnaround jumper. An outstretched Wiggins hand. Holmgren damn near punching through his sternum in celebration.
Williams noted it'd been a play that the Thunder had worked on in practice at least several times this season.
"It's something that we all trust him to shoot," Williams said. It was really cool to see that come full circle because we worked on it. Big time players make big time shots."
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Asked whether it unfolded the way he'd hoped, Daigneault put it simply.
"Yeah," he said, "especially the part of the ball going in.
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Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates with guard Josh Giddey (3) after making a 3-point basket at the second half buzzer to tie Saturday's game at the end of regulation as Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins (22) walks toward the bench in San Francisco.
Saturday could be this team's signature win
Leave it to a season series with Golden State to tell you everything you should know about your team.
Though at the hands of a final basket, the Thunder found out a lot about itself sans SGA in its in-season tournament loss to the Warriors in Oklahoma City. Even without Curry or Draymond Green , the team showed off necessary layers in a win Thursday.
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It's probably still too early to confidently discuss the big picture. But Saturday's win — a combination of resilience, offensive output and road guts — makes it hard to argue against it as the Thunder's signature win to this point.
"It's definitely a big win," Williams said. "I think if you just go back and look from last year's perspective, there are some games that we kinda wish we had back, so I think this is a big step in the direction as far as coming on the road and being battle tested."
On Saturday night, the Thunder sits in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. It worked through ongoing coverage of Curry and Thompson. The heroics of Wiggins and even Looney. A big deficit, an overtime period in a hostile environment. Even with the Warriors in rough shape in the standings, all signs point to Saturday being a reference point for the Thunder.
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Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams (8) dunks against Golden State during the first half Saturday in San Francisco.
OKC's young trio in stride
As much as SGA and Holmgren will take precedent following Saturday's win, Williams deserves mention.
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Now and in the future.
His 10-point fourth quarter showed shades of OKC's win in Phoenix. Called upon as the primary creator in the late, non-SGA minutes, he delivered. Bucket after bucket. Slithering to his spots with extended dribbles and soft touch. Getting to the FT line. Handling the level of attention he commands in a lineup like that.
His late eruption — which has unfolded similarly several times now — was the story before SGA and Holmgren's moments. Williams, who finished with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists, absorbed the burden of the focus teams tend to push when SGA is missing late game.
As a result, the trio pieced together their most complete game thus far.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren lead OKC Thunder past Warriors
