Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-for-23 from the field in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 122-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday.
The performance was all the more disappointing since SGA was rewarded with his second consecutive MVP award before the game. After the Game 1 loss, the Toronto native vowed to be better in Wednesday’s Game 2.
“We just got to be better — me, in particular,” SGA said, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber. Nothing more than that.”
Thunder Fall to 1-0 Hole
SGA felt he let veteran guard Alex Caruso, who scored a playoff career-high 31 points, down with his lackluster performance. Caruso, a two-time NBA champion, kept the Thunder afloat with crucial plays on both ends of the floor as the Thunder erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Ultimately, Victor Wembanyama and Co. proved too much for the Thunder.
“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” he said when asked about Caruso uplifting the champions.
“It’s just unfortunate that I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you’re your best version, sometimes you’re not. You’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are.”
SGA Struggles vs Spurs Defense
While SGA finished with a stat line of 24 points and 12 assists, those who watched the game know that he struggled mightily to penetrate the Spurs’ defense, especially when guarded by Stephon Castle and rookie Carter Bryant. He was swarmed by black jerseys the minute he crossed half court, which led to him making only three of his first 14 field goal attempts before a better performance late in the second half and overtime.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault admitted that he had to design a better scheme for his best player to get better looks in Game 2 and beyond.
“We’re going to have to figure that out,” Daigneault said of SGA getting hounded by Spurs defenders. “They’re good schematically. They obviously have a lot of tools with the point-of-attack defenders and with Wembanyama. There’s a reason they are where they are, but there’s a reason we are where we are, and one of the things that I love about this team is our problem-solving.
“We’ve been in these series before. We’ve hit these types of plateaus. We gave ourselves obviously a chance to win despite that tonight with our defense and the way that we played, but we got to solve a few problems and be better in Game 2.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave kudos to San Antonio’s defensive scheme, which included going zone in overtime.
“It’s obviously challenging — very tall, very long, deters a lot of things at the rim,” he said of going up against the Spurs defense.
“You’ve got to be smart when you go in there. Be patient, but also be aggressive. Don’t be too timid in there. I think you get caught worrying about it too much, and you lose aggression. That’s where they really put a stranglehold on the game. You’ve got to be able to be aggressive but also be smart.”
Thunder vs Spurs Game 2 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. SGA and Co. face a near do-or-die situation before the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Sends Blunt Message After Game 1 Loss to Spurs