The defending regular-season and Finals MVP had his way with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, getting where he wanted and converting at such a high rate that he made his first nine shots, all coming off of relaxed, patient plays as he entered the paint.
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Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting from the field and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Suns with a 121-109 victory.
Let’s get into some reflections.
Where is Devin Booker, the superstar?
Although he briefly left the game in the third quarter with a brief ankle injury, Booker returned and maintained a pattern that is starting to become concerning.
Booker is widely viewed as an elite scorer and one of the best in the league, but he has only been modestly active in this series, scoring a total of 61 points in three games.
It seems pointless to fight and fight for a playoff spot, just to not assert himself as the scorer he can be.
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It is not totally ineffective. He has been creating plays, making good reads and initiating actions off the rebound. That’s an objective positive, but the Suns need Booker to be, well, Devin Booker, an elite scorer and constant threat.
OKC plays with its food
Even without a huge scoring disparity, you never get the sense that Oklahoma City is in danger. Their bench is producing, both from the perimeter and inside, and is fully capable of keeping the game moving until the starters come on.
There is no sense of desperation, no rush, no panic, no worry.
This team goes at 80%, by design, because it is enough. That might sound almost disrespectful to Phoenix, but to be fair, the Suns aren’t exactly challenging the Thunder.
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This most likely won’t be the case starting in the second round, so they should take advantage of this opportunity to not enter a new series mentally exhausted, even if they lost Jalen Williams for at least a few weeks.
After playing like a rock star during the play-in tournament, Green has struggled mightily against the Thunder in the first two games, shooting just under 36% from the field and turning the ball over five times per game.
In Game 3, he controlled himself, took better shots, found a much better rhythm for his game, and finished with 26 points, which for the Suns is a good sign for Game 4, at the very least.
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OKC Bank Is Still Absolutely Ridiculous
The Thunder scored 36 points off the bench to Phoenix’s 12, and it’s no surprise.
Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain and Alex Caruso led the charge as the Thunder underscored their depth, sending a strong message to upcoming opponents later in the playoffs (because who are we kidding here?) that you can’t relax when your secondary rotation is active.