Josh Giddey ties career-high, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes up clutch as Thunder edge Pelicans in Play-In Tournament
Giddey #Giddey
The Oklahoma City Thunder keep their season alive!
In a thrilling 123-118 win on the road, the Thunder’s backcourt of Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander combined to set up a date with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
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Giddey tied his career-high with 31 points, falling one rebound shy of a triple-double with nine boards and 10 assists. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high 32 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
“We’ve been battle tested. We’ve played in a lot of close games all year, for the past couple of years,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame.
“Even when the season wasn’t going our way, we played in a lot of close games and we have good habits and we know what gets it done down the stretch.”
After the Thunder took a 32-29 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans quickly responded in the second to take a 63-57 lead at half-time.
That’s when the Thunder backcourt kicked into gear with Gilgeous-Alexander taking over the third quarter, scoring 17 of his 32 points in the period, while Giddey added 12 of his own to put the Thunder in front 95-85.
Giddey was in the thick of the action down the stretch, trading barbs with Josh Richardson after the Pelicans guard caught him with a below the belt shot, earning him a Flagrant 1 foul.
New Orleans weren’t going to go quietly on their home floor, clawing their way back into the contest down the stretch with Brandon Ingram giving them a 114-112 lead with 1:21 remaining before Gilgeous-Alexander’s tough jumper put them back in front 115-114 with 29 seconds to play.
Giddey drained a pair of clutch free throws to keep the Thunder in front, before SGA buried four more in the final three seconds to ice the win.
“As a kid you grow up wanting to be in these kind of moments,” Giddey added. “For me, my first playoff experience, as I said it was everything I expected and glad we could come out here with a win and move onto the next one.”
Ingram led the Pelicans with 30 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Trey Murphy III added 21 points, Herb Jones 20 and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 16-point, 18-rebound double-double.
The Thunder will next travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves to secure a spot in the playoffs, with that game scheduled for Friday, April 14. Tip-off set for 9:30 p.m. ET.