Stiles Points: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Had His Moment, OKC Thunder Better For It

The Oklahoma City Thunder knocked off the Denver Nuggets in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday as the Thunder saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a signature shot that will be remembered forever.

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) runs down the court for a play against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

There are plays that stick with you, shots that stand the test of time and moments that make you remember where you were when they happened. As Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander raised up for a triple dribbling off an Isaiah Hartenstein screen of Christian Braun to create space for a 29-foot triple too far for Nikola Jokic to contest, it was one of those moments in Bricktown.

Gilgeous-Alexander netted that shot with 47.4 ticks to go in a pivotal Game 5 and drove the dagger into the heart of the Denver Nuggets, who coughed up a nine-point fourth quarter lead and grabbed hold of a 3-2 series lead.

Oklahoma City is squarely in the driver's seat to punch its ticket to its first Western Conference Finals trip since 2016 after this 112-105 win over Denver. This shot made it possible and embodies the growth of this OKC Thunder roster.

Despite the ending, it was not always a fairy tale night for the Thunder superstar. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled just 11 points on as many shots before intermission, with four of his five turnovers coming in the first two frames, the Thunder losing his minutes.

In the second half, things changed on a dime –– just as he did on the hardwood –– the soon-to-be-named MVP posted 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal while shooting a jaw-dropping 66% from the floor, including that dagger 3.

"I just thought he got more and more composed as the game went on and settled into the game. Despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler, and just settled into it, made the right plays and let the game tell him what to do. He was humble. He closed that thing down the stretch," head coach Mark Daigneault said postgame.

It wasn't just Gilgeous-Alexander who struggled; the majority of this Thunder team did for most of the night. With missed shots, out-of-sorts halfcourt offense and "loose" defense as Daigneault would describe, things got off the rails for Oklahoma City.

So much so, the Bricktown ballers fell behind by as many as 12 points, including a nine-point deficit in the final frame. The youngest team in the NBA Playoffs was on the ropes, a historic season facing death square in the eyes. Then, the kids grew up.

While nearly everything was going wrong, it would have been easy for Gilgeous-Alexander to play iso-heavy hero ball, forcing the issue and jacking up jumpers to the tunes of missed shots and botched opportunities.

Instead, the Thunder superstar kept making the right play. Sure, most of the time the correct decision still winds up in his own hands, but Gilgeous-Alexander didn't chuck up the ill-advised shots of Game 3 in this one. He learned the lesson and stayed the course.

This organic moment that will stand the test of time in Bricktown came to him naturally and embodied what has made the Oklahoma City Thunder an anomaly all season.

Gilgeous-Alexander attacked the final frame with great competitive maturity. When that is what the leader of a young squad is doing, it sets a tone. The Thunder were the more posied team down the stretch of this game. They made better decisions and it allowed OKC to out execute Denver.

"The answer is never a hero play or anything out the ordinary. It's being who we are. It's trusting each other, playing with all five on both ends. Whatever the problem is, we can fix it with the collective effort," Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame.

That trust showed up in a big way for defensive ace Lu Dort. The longest tenured Thunder player who has played alongside the NBA's scoring champion every step of the way had the biggest fourth quarter of his life in Game 5.

Dort was dreadful offensively for the vast majority of this game, entirely due to his outside shot not falling as the Arizona State product was on an ice-cold streak that made Alaska look like Arizona. When Mark Daigneault elected to go back to Dort at the 10:10 mark in the fourth quarter, the crowd groaned. The online forums fumed. The Thunder didn't blink.

Guys like Gilgeous-Alexander kept taking what Denver was giving them. Open shots for Dort, spoon-fed to him with confidence and trust. That was rewarded with shot making as the streaky by capable shooter capped off the game, going 4-for-8 from 3 (3-for-4 in the last 12 minutes).

Gilgeous-Alexander had his first signature moment and the Oklahoma City Thunder are better for it.

Song of the Day: Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and the wings

feed