Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still hasn't achieved his main goal for the Thunder

Cliff Brunt · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 29, 2025 8:05 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander achieved his short-term goals connected Wednesday nighttime and positioned himself to execute his semipermanent one.

He had 34 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds to assistance the Oklahoma City Thunder bushed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 successful Game 5 of the Western Conference finals for a 4-1 bid triumph and a spot successful the NBA Finals.

"I cognize I wanted 2 things," helium said. "I didn't privation to spell backmost to Minnesota. And past I wanted the fans to beryllium capable to bask the infinitesimal with us. I wanted them to beryllium capable to spot it unfold successful beforehand of their eyes. I wanted them to observe contiguous successful our building, spell home, get drunk, bash immoderate they bash to person amusive with the moment."

The league MVP and scoring champion did his portion to marque those things possible, and present he's got a changeable astatine an NBA title. It was different illustration of however playoff hoops appears to person slowed down for him. He forced things astatine times successful the archetypal circular against Memphis and successful the 2nd circular against Denver. Against Minnesota, helium was backmost to making the crippled look easy. He made 14 of 25 shots and committed conscionable 2 turnovers successful Game 5.

"I deliberation helium does a large occupation of playing assertive and past letting the crippled archer him what the close play is," Thunder guardant Chet Holmgren said. "Sometimes that's score, sometimes that's to pass. But you ne'er truly consciousness similar watching him oregon playing with him — you ne'er consciousness similar helium made the incorrect read."

Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points and 5 assists successful the archetypal 4th arsenic Oklahoma City took a 26-9 lead. The Thunder led 65-32 astatine halftime and 88-62 heading into the 4th quarter.

"All we tin bash is travel successful astatine nighttime and power our vigor and our effort and our absorption level, springiness these fans what they merit and families what they deserve," helium said. "Everyone that's sacrificed for us, they merit this infinitesimal to observe astatine home. We took attraction of concern from the jump. We were focused. We were together. We were energetic, we were aggressive, and the crippled turned retired the mode it did."

Gilgeous-Alexander's large nighttime went beyond measurables. Coach Mark Daigneault said his enactment helped the Thunder get disconnected to the beardown start.

"He conscionable acceptable an unbelievable tone," Daigneault said. "I deliberation helium understood his relation successful our mentality. He was a subordinate successful that and helium was a person successful that. And helium was acceptable to play from the jump."

For the series, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per crippled and received the Magic Johnson Trophy for MVP of the Western Conference Finals.

None of that volition substance erstwhile the Thunder play either the Indiana Pacers oregon the New York Knicks successful the Finals, starting June 5. The Pacers pb the Eastern Conference finals bid 3-1 with Game 5 successful New York City connected Thursday night.

"We person to beryllium the champion mentation of ourselves for 4 nights to scope the eventual goal," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We recognize that, we cognize that, and that's what we're focused on."