Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) talks to reporters after his team's win against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sets impressive playoff record

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated May 8, 2025 1:53 AM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set an impressive playoff record during his Oklahoma City Thunder’s blowout win on Wednesday night.

The Thunder ripped the Denver Nuggets 149-106 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The blowout win for the Thunder came after they lost Game 1 121-119.

OKC got out to a huge halftime lead and cruised to an easy win on Wednesday. Gilgeous-Alexander played 30 minutes, which was the most on his team. He went 11-of-13 from the field and made all 11 of his free throws to give him 34 points. But where SGA truly stood out was his +- statistic, which measures the point differential between your team and the opponent when a specific player is on the court.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a +51, which set an NBA playoff record since the stat began being counted.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now holds the record for the best +/- in a playoff game in NBA history with +51

only took him 3 quarters. pic.twitter.com/LvU86f92Ej
— (@SkyedOKC) May 8, 2025

The Thunder went 68-14 in the regular season and swept their first-round series. They were out to make a statement in Game 2 after dropping Game 1 at home. They did so successfully with their blowout win, and SGA responded to Nikola Jokic’s big Game 1 with a huge Game 2. The two players are in contention to win the NBA MVP, with Gilgeous-Alexander favored to take home the award.

Game 3 of the series will be in Denver on Friday night.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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