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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Had High Praise for Thunder Fans After Game 7 Win
The Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night to advance to the 2025 Western Conference Finals, and point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wanted the win for the fans just as much as he did for the team.
Asked after the game what it means to move to the next round, SGA was effusive in his praise for Oklahoma City and the supporters that live there.
"It means a lot, specifically for this city. They've been so good all year. They've been behind us, through good, through bad. It feels like no team in the league has home-court advantage like we do, and that's all due to them. T-shirts, cheering, screaming, chants. They really give us energy out there, and we've been a better team because of them and having them behind us. To know that if we didn't bring it tonight, it could be over for them as well wasn't fair. We wanted to play for them, as well."
Watch that answer below:
“It means a lot, specifically for this city… They’ve been behind us through good, through bad. It feels like no team in the league has home-court advantage like we do, and that’s all due to them.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 19, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on effect of Thunder winning Game 7.
(via @Joe_Sway) pic.twitter.com/3qxDliQubg
His comments are also in keeping with those of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, who claimed during the Thunder-Nuggets contest that OKC's fanbase is louder than the notoriously passionate Madison Square Garden crowd. (Worth noting: Young is a bit of an N.Y. troll.)
The Thunder absolutely destroyed the Nuggets at home on Sunday, ending the thrilling playoff series with a decisive 125-93 win. SGA had 35 points, the most of any player in the contest, plus three rebounds and four assists.
OKC will be at home again on Tuesday when they start their conference finals series with the MInnesota Timberwolves.
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Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.