Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game 1 Performance

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, led the Thunder with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists in Tuesday night’s 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Paycom Center. But there’s more to know, as Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness stems from multiple positives. Read on for those positives.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Game 1 Performance

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game 1 performance was noteworthy for the most part. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists in 38 minutes, while shooting 10-of-27 from the field goal line, 0-of-4 from the 3-point line, and 11-of-14 from the free throw line.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Stats

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s regular-season stats were impressive, to say the least. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the 2024-25 NBA regular season averaging 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field goal line, 37.5% from the 3-point line, and 89.9% from the free throw line.

And, for the postseason, Gilgeous-Alexander has been averaging 29.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, while shooting 46.7% from the field goal line, 27.4% from the 3-point line, and 84.5% from the free throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander’s postseason stats date back to 2019 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Final Thoughts

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a Toronto, Ontario native who played college basketball at the University of Kentucky from 2017-18 before being selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets traded Gilgeous-Alexander to the Los Angeles Clippers the same day for the pick after him, which turned out to be future Hornets star Miles Bridges, and two future second-round picks.

Gilgeous-Alexander played just one season with the Clippers from 2018-19 before the other Los Angeles NBA team traded him, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and the rights to swap two first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George on July 10, 2019. Gilgeous-Alexander became a household name in Oklahoma City, thanks to his shot creation, isolation scoring, and leadership skills.

Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t an ethical hooper. By definition, an ethical hooper is a player who scores points without resorting to excessive foul-baiting tactics. Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-baiting is unethical, but it works well. Just like Jalen Brunson’s foul-baiting. The NBA has taken steps to discourage the players’ unethical habits, but hasn’t been successful.

However, Gilgeous-Alexander has been achieving success in recent years. Gilgeous-Alexander’s off-arm pushes have almost always been dismissed all season. Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably doing everything in his power to help the Thunder win in the regular season and postseason, so the NBA’s to blame, and not the players.

The Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves will play Game 2 at the Paycom Center on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.