Taking advantage of Devin Booker's care-free dribble, Shai 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 OKC a win away from another ho-hum Round 1 series victory.
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away late in their 120-109 Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns. With a 3-0 series lead, they're now a win away from a third straight year where they sweep their Round 1 opponent.
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.
But showing his evolution, Gilgeous-Alexander carried the Thunder to a bulletproof 3-0 series lead. He did it at all levels on the court. He drove to the rim without any real resistance. The Suns threw every defender at the wall out of desperation. None of them stuck.
At the mid-range, Gilgeous-Alexander was surgical. A couple of dribbles in, he pulled up at different spots throughout the packed areas. When none of that happened, he bullied his way to the rim and flipped the Suns' constant pressure as a detriment. He had a busy night at the free-throw line. Expect that to trend on all social media platforms again.
Putting this one away in the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored an unreal 25 points. He had a dozen alone in the final frame. Even when the Suns enjoyed some hot shooting, the reigning MVP immediately answered on the other end before Suns fans could do the napkin math in their head for a possible comeback.
"We knew coming into tonight, we typically struggled with these games last year. We go down big in Memphis in Game 3, we lose Game 3 in the Denver series, we lose Game 3 in the Minnesota series by 40 and we lose Game 3 in Indiana. We really wanted to come out here and put our best foot forward across the board," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Really play to our identity, give ourselves a chance. I think in those games we veered away from who we were. Tonight I think we did a really great job at staying present, being in the moment, doing what we can on each possession."
Stuffing Booker in his locker, Gilgeous-Alexander bumped his way for a transition layup. The Thunder ran away from the Suns in the second half. You can credit this supernova scoring for that. Not getting an and-one, the usually-calm NBA superstar yelled at his teammates as OKC blew open the game. The moment went viral, as he showed a rare glimpse of his fiery competitiveness.
"Nothing at all. I just think they missed the call, but I scored anything," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "So I was like, 'It's okay. Don't worry about it.' Nothing more than that."
Afterward, Dillon Brooks continued to play mind games. Putting up back-to-back 30-plus point outings, it just hasn't mattered as the Thunder gladly welcomed him in syphoning the Suns' shot attempts. He said he'll guard Gilgeous-Alexander one-on-one in Game 4, but his whole gimmick has gone to naught as the Thunder are a win away from another Round 1 sweep — even with him calling the reigning MVP 'frail' after Game 2.
"Shoutout Dillon," Gilgeous-Alexander said with a smile. "Shoutout Dillon."
This is what the NBA's best players ever do. Just a complete takeover. I mean, 42 points on 18 shot attempts. You never see that in the NBA playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander has cemented himself as one of the best players this decade. Now, his competition goes beyond the current field of players. He's chasing all-time greatness. And he's doing a dang-good job at putting himself in the same sentences as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adds to NBA mythos in OKC's Game 3 win over Suns