Facing a deluge of injury woes, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned to good ol' reliable Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to put an end to their two-game losing streak heading into their Monday night contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilgeous-Alexander dealt the decisive blow, scoring 43 points to power the Thunder to a much-needed 117-112 victory against a quality opponent in the Cavs.
The outcome of the game was still up in the air in the dying embers of the contest. Sam Merrill hit a corner triple to tie the game for the Cavs at 112, thrusting Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Clutch Player of the Year and MVP, into action once more. And the Thunder star delivered. Isolated against Merrill on the left wing, Gilgeous-Alexander took him to the cleaners, drilling a stepback three right in his grill to drive the dagger into the Cavs' heart.
The Cavs still had an opportunity to retaliate, but Merrill missed a three-ball, and the Cavs would not score for the rest of the game as the Thunder sealed the four-point victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander had to carry the team on his back and he will have to continue to do so amid the Thunder's current injury predicament. OKC is down three starters; Jalen Williams is set to miss the rest of the season with a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle, Chet Holmgren is out for eight to 10 weeks with a knee injury, while Cason Wallace has a torn labrum and is out indefinitely.
The Thunder had to trade away three rotation players in the offseason (Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe) for tax management purposes, and now, their depth is being tested. Gilgeous-Alexander had to attempt a career-high 35 field-goal attempts (making 14 of them) just to get to his 43-point tally.
The OKC may have just seen their title hopes disappear in the span of a week, but as long as Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy, the Thunder will always have its rumble.