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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shared the Secret to Thunder's Success After Game 5 Triumph

It took a total team effort to overcome an inspired Nikola Jokic.

Kyle Koster

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder prevailed in Game 5.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder prevailed in Game 5. / TNT
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The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to survive Game 5 on Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets to move one win away from the Western Conference finals. They needed contributions from everyone who saw the court in order to swing the pivotal matchup against an inspired Nikola Jokic. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered the knockout blow with a clutch three-pointer to move the Thunder's advantage to six points with 48 minutes, which came on the heels of an ice-cold triple from Jalen Wiliams. Lu Dort was also enormous for the cause, knocking down a handful of treys during crunch time.

Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to the total team effort from Oklahoma City and the belief they all have in each other during a postgame interview with TNT's Stephanie Ready.

"You're only as good as your weakest link and all 10 of our guys are ready to go no matter the stage," he said.

After a blistering regular season and gutty playoff performances, the proof of Gilgeous-Alexander's statement is in the pudding of what OKC city has been able to accomplish. Jokic was on another planet on Monday night, scoring 44 points and defying conventional norms. But it was the power of the collective that allowed the Thunder to swing the series back in their direction—even though Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points.

Oklahoma City get a chance to close out the series Thursday night in Denver. They'll enter with confidence in themselves and each other.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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