Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Fatigue Is Not an Excuse for the Thunder
INDIANAPOLIS – Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn’t say fatigue was a factor in his performance in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Game 3 loss against the Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander insisted that fatigue cannot be an excuse, no matter how much the Pacers try to wear him down.Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, finished with 24 points and four assists in the third game, a significant decrease from his sensational performance of 34 points and eight assists in Oklahoma City’s second-game victory. His six turnovers in Wednesday’s loss were the most he has committed in a playoff game. Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to only three points on 1-of-3 shooting with no assists, as the Pacers rallied in the final quarter for the victory that gave Indiana a 2-1 series lead. According to GeniusIQ tracking, a defender approached Gilgeous-Alexander at an average of 65.5 feet from the basket when he was bringing the ball up in the third game. That’s the longest distance of any game in his career, whether regular season or playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander brought the ball up the court only 23 times, the second-fewest in a game this postseason. The Pacers also made Gilgeous-Alexander fight for every step in the half court. Indiana pressured him 12 times, the most he has faced in a playoff game, according to ESPN Research. And Indiana made Gilgeous-Alexander work tirelessly on the other end as well. He was the primary defender on 22 field goal attempts, which was also the most in a playoff game. However, Gilgeous-Alexander downplayed fatigue as an issue in the final quarter, when the Pacers outscored the Thunder by a margin of 32-18 for Indiana’s second comeback win of the series. “I’m not too sure. I don’t think so,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s a physical game. We’ve had a lot of physical games. We’ve had games like that where I’ve been great at the end, games where I’ve stunk at the end. I don’t think it was anything out of the ordinary, nothing I haven’t seen before.”“You have to hold on,” Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “There are at most four games left in the season. It’s what you worked for all season. It’s what you worked for all summer. For me, as I see it, you have to hold on, do it, and try to get a win.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
