PHOENIX — After forcing another turnover, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sped past several Phoenix defenders. Running at full steam, he bumped his way through Devin Booker for the blue-collar layup. No foul was called for an and-one. The reigning MVP let his teammates hear about it. He mouthed he didn't need the whistle as he turned into a one-man machine.
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away late for a 121-109 Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns. They now hold an ironclad 3-0 series lead in their Round 1 matchup.
Back to life without Jalen Williams, the Thunder went with Ajay Mitchell as the starter. The move allowed him to seamlessly take up all of the All-NBA talent's shot attempts. Knowing Game 3 is when they'd get the Suns' best jabs, they stuck with it. The Thunder had a 33-28 lead after the first quarter.
Rolling out a new second-unit lineup, Mitchell and Jared McCain took turns putting up shot attempts. The your-turn-my-turn style served as a Band-Aid for Williams' absence. The Thunder kept their distance with 29 points in the second frame. They had a 62-53 halftime lead.
At that point, the Thunder had full control over the Suns. Even without Williams, they've duct-taped an offense together. Most teams in OKC's position would ponder waving the white flag. But the reigning NBA champions have truly lived up to their plug-and-play formula scattered throughout their roster.
Coming out of the break, it was much of the same. As the Thunder kept their distance, Devin Booker's ankle roll breathed life into a Phoenix crowd that was mentally and emotionally mostly checked out. Pulling a play out of being a superhero, he quickly checked back in after he hobbled to the bench.
Alas, all that did was generate a cool aura moment. The Suns failed to rally behind Booker's injury. Gilgeous-Alexander ensured the Thunder kept pace. Getting hot on a handful of possessions, Jalen Green's outside jumpers turned out to be irrelevant. The reigning MVP answered with his own buckets to water down any momentum Phoenix hoped to spark.
The Thunder had 25 points in the third quarter. They held a commanding 87-79 lead over the Suns. All things considered, this was a great spot to be at. Felt like the Suns emptied the tank and it barely moved the scoreboard to their favor. The talent gap between these two teams is just too wide. The size difference between your average JV and Varsity squads.
Going for a fastbreak poster, Booker's daring attempt to go at Holmgren ended in spectacular failure. The seven-footer jumped off the floor with him. He swatted away his layup attempt. Going back on offense, he pulled out a double thumbs-down to nonverbally trash-talk Phoenix's superstar.
With the finish line within eyesight, Gilgeous-Alexander walked down the Suns to pop any late-game interest. He shouldered his way through Booker for an old-school bucket. On the other end, OKC's defense morphed into a school of piranhas. Anytime someone from Phoenix tried to break down their defender, it became a turnover or a bad shot attempt.
Mixing those two things, it shouldn't be a surprise to see the Thunder pull away late. They led by as many as 16 points. They had 34 points in the final frame. Historically struggling in Game 3s, OKC looked like a team on a mission not to mess with their food and make quick work of the Suns.
The Thunder shot 50% from the field and went 12-of-37 (32.4%) from 3. They shot 19-of-21 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 45 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his best playoff outings ever with an efficient 42 points and eight assists. Mitchell gladly ate into the vacated possessions with 15 points and six rebounds. Holmgren had 10 points and seven rebounds. Alex Caruso had 13 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Suns shot 44% from the field and went 13-of-41 (31.7%) from 3. They shot 20-of-23 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 38 baskets. Four Suns players scored double-digit points.
Booker once again struggled with 16 points and seven assists. Dillon Brooks exploded for 33 points and seven rebounds. Green had 26 points and six assists. Oso Ighodaro had 15 points and four assists.
Anybody thinking this Round 1 matchup would drum up interest once Williams was sidelined had their balloon popped. The Thunder are just heads and shoulders above the Suns. At every level. Taking care of business at home through two games, this was supposed to be the telltale sign of this series. Well, it looks like OKC is well on its way to another stress-free advancement.
Starting at the top, Gilgeous-Alexander refused to let the Thunder sleepwalk through another bad loss. His career-best night helped the rest of OKC to get into a rhythm. We're seeing one of the game's greatest players carry his squad to playoff wins. While it won't be as lengthy as others, add this chapter to his ever-growing book of NBA royalty.
Taking advantage of Booker's care-free dribble, Gilgeous-Alexander ripped the ball away from him. He jogged his way to a rare two-handed dunk. The reigning MVP had a one-man show to put the Thunder a win away from another ho-hum Round 1 series victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting, eight assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 11-of-12 on free throws. He also had one steal.
I guess this is what it's like to see one of the NBA's greatest scorers in a flow state. The Suns didn't have a prayer to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander. We've seen him have these superb-efficient 30-plus point outings in the regular season, but rarely in the NBA playoffs. Which makes sense, considering the competitive level is amped tenfold.