Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t win the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award (he actually finished eighth), but he proved why he’s considered one of the best late-game executionists in the world on Sunday.
Scoring nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, SGA fueled the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 92-87 win over the Denver Nuggets to tie the series 2-2. OKC entered the final period trailing by six before quickly going on a run. It was actually a pair of triples from Cason Wallace that sparked the Thunder’s comeback before Gilgeous-Alexander checked in with about nine minutes to go and put the finishing touches on the win. SGA scored back-to-back buckets for the Thunder with roughly four minutes left to extend the lead. His layup with a little over two minutes to go made it a seven-point game, burying Denver for good.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals (with three turnovers) in 38 minutes. He failed to make a three-pointer (0-5), but shot 8-14 from two-point range. Wallace had arguably his best game of the postseason yet: 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes on 4-7 shooting (including a perfect 3-3 mark from deep).
For Denver, the Nuggets scored just eight points in the first quarter and only had 36 points at halftime, but a 33-point third quarter allowed a small cushion going into the final 12 minutes. Jamal Murray was decent, but far from great. He added 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds, but shot 5-15 from the field and turned the ball over four times in his 41 minutes. Denver needs more from Nikola Jokic’s co-star in order to win this series.
A critical Game 5 now shifts back to OKC. Tipoff on Tuesday is set for 9:30 p.m. ET. Teams that win Game 5 of a tied series go on to win the series 81.4 percent of the time.
5/11/25 Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 92-87 W @ DEN | 25 | 8-19 (0-5) | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 38 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 92-87 L vs. OKC | 17 | 5-15 (2-5) | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -12 | 41 |
| Cason Wallace (OKC) | 92-87 W @ DEN | 11 | 4-7 (3-3) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 22 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 129-109 W vs. CLE | DNP-Achilles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals | Game 4 | NYK leads 2-1
7:30 (ESPN) | (2) Celtics @ (3) Knicks (Towns)
Western Conference Semifinals | Game 4 | MIN leads 2-1
10:00 (ESPN) | (6) Timberwolves (Dillingham, Randle) @ (7) Warriors (Knox)
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