Chet Holmgren said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP. He played like one Wednesday night in a monster Game 2 win.
Jamal Crawford called SGA a “baaaadd man” after his step back jumper gave the Thunder a 20-point lead in the third quarter. The Thunder’s All-Star scored 33 points on 13-for-19 shooting, as the Pelicans had no answer for him.
He made big shots from deep.
And he made big jumpers down near the block.
New Orleans wasn’t even playing bad defense on many of his shots. Gilgeous-Alexander showed that he can get to his spot at will, and make tough baskets when he gets there, just like he did with the go-ahead shot in Game 1.
After the game, Holmgren did his postgame interview with nearly all of his teammates, and declared that SGA was “too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here.”
Holmgren was humble about his own performance, after the rookie scored 26 points on just 13 shots. He showed off a three-point stroke and some strength inside, like when he flattened Brandon Ingram and went in for a dunk.
Though he only had two blocks, Holmgren seemed to challenge nearly every Pelicans shot near the basket, altering countless New Orleans attempts.
It’s still very early in both their careers, but the Thunder already have an excellent duo of guard and center. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren are great now. Game 2 showed they have the chance to be legendary.