Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Needs Big Game 6 to Keep Thunder Season Alive

The playoffs are dominated by superstars, and the Oklahoma City Thunder need their star to have a big game.

After stealing Game 4 in Dallas to regain home-court advantage, the Thunder fell flat in a pivotal Game 5, setting up the team's first elimination game. Only two players to play every playoff game this year have played significant minutes in an elimination game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort were both on the Thunder’s 2020 team that fell to the Houston Rockets in the bubble in seven games. Although Gilgeous-Alexander has vastly improved since then, he understands what it takes to keep a season alive.

Including his rookie season with the LA Clippers, the MVP runner-up is 2-2 in elimination games. Despite having a 57-win team that finished top five in offense and defense in the regular season, he might need one of the best games of his career to force a Game 7.

Gilgeous-Alexander has already proven he can lead the team to a win in this series, but if Dallas can continue to shut down his star teammates, it might not be enough. In the second round, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.4 points, nine rebounds and 7.2 assists.

The Thunder star’s 34-point outing, which included 22 points in the second half, carried Oklahoma City to a Game 4 win to tie the series. Gilgoeus-Alexander had six 40-point games in the regular season, with a season-high of 43.

Although he is one of the best and most consistent scorers in the NBA, a low volume of 3-point attempts has kept him from having more monstrous performances. However, he might need to make some outside shots in Game 6 to make up for Oklahoma City’s struggles.

The Thunder do not need Gilgeous-Alexander to have a 40-shot game like Russell Westbrook was famous for, but a higher usage rate than the 32.7% he has had this postseason could be helpful.

In any case, a big performance from Gilgeous-Alexander might still not be enough if the rest of the team can’t get out of its slump.

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