In a frustrating Game 2 loss against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, there was a lot that went wrong for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but one thing that went right was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Although coming in a losing effort, the sophomore turned in an impressive 31-point performance that stood in stark contrast to his showing in Game 1.
He was aggressive and gave the Thunder a chance to win a competitive contest before the Thunder’s offense went cold during a decisive six-minute stretch of the fourth quarter that effectively decided the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the difference for him.
“I watched a lot of film after last game and saw certain areas where I could have been more aggressive and more assertive,” he said. “And it was on both ends, it wasn’t just offensively. Defensively I felt like I didn’t have that same pop that I had in the previous games and I had that pop back tonight.”
While the Thunder aren’t taking any moral victories — especially as they carry an 0-2 hole into Saturday’s Game 3 — the young guard believes that the club is making improvements against Houston.
“The court opened up, we were able to get into gaps and generate better shots… We got better looks tonight. It didn’t end in the result we wanted it to, but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Now, the Thunder will be forced to win Game 3, as no NBA team has ever erased an 0-3 deficit to come back and win a playoff series.
With Houston potentially welcoming Russell Westbrook back to the lineup, though, the job will certainly get harder.
“I feel like we had moments of it throughout the entire game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the adjustments the Thunder needed to make.
“I think we just gotta put it together for the full 48, and obviously it got a little bit away from us… The big thing that coach is talking about right now is multiple efforts… It’s about being alert and being ready.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, if the Thunder can replicate their performance during the first three quarters of Game 2, they’ll again have an opportunity to win. But, according to the sophomore, the challenge will be for the club to keep their heads up when their shots stop falling.
“I felt like to start the fourth, we got shots we wanted, they just weren’t falling, but above all, we gotta get stops — no matter what — whether we’re scoring or not scoring.”
Now, as the club collectively tries to pick itself up and strike back against Houston in a must-win Game 3, they’ll try to channel the energy and successes they had in Game 2.
“We had a glimpse of it today,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just gotta put it together for every moment that we’re out there for that full 48.”
In the postseason, moral victories don’t count. But Billy Donovan’s challenge will be to sell his team on his vision and keep their spirits up, especially since — unlike in a traditional playoffs — they won’t have the comfy confines of Chesapeake Energy Arena to draw energy from on Saturday.
The challenge awaits.