Home BASKETBALL NBA NBA Roundup: Thunder Go Up 2-0 Behind SGA’s 37, Detroit Defense Stifles Orlando

NBA Roundup: Thunder Go Up 2-0 Behind SGA’s 37, Detroit Defense Stifles Orlando

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Thunder hold off Suns surge


Reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander shook off a first-quarter fall as OKC moved halfway to the second round. Detroit’s defense held Orlando to a season-low 83 points to tie the series.


Gilgeous-Alexander shines in Thunder win over Suns, Pistons level series vs Magic...

 
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 37 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Phoenix 120-107 Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series, while Detroit defeated Orlando to even their series at 1-1.


The reigning MVP topped all scorers as the defending champion Thunder seized control of the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round matchup with another dominant win.


“Shai made the right play all night,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “His floor game was outstanding. He seemed to spray it all over the place, had a great tempo and got us really good shots.”


Chet Holmgren scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter and added three of his four blocks in the period.



  
Jalen Williams added 19 points, but the forward - who played only 33 regular-season games - left in the third after appearing to aggravate a hamstring injury, according to the team.


Chasing back-to-back titles for the first time since Golden State in 2017 and 2018, the Thunder kept rolling.


Oklahoma City stretched the lead to 26 early in the fourth, then held off a late Suns run that trimmed the margin to 10 with under four minutes left.


“All we can do is play next man up, and we built that muscle throughout the season pretty well,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the latest injury to Williams. “I'm super confident in this team to be able to go and get the job done no matter who's out there.”


Gilgeous-Alexander, an MVP finalist this season and the NBA’s new Clutch Player of the Year, had his own injury scare in the first quarter.




He grimaced and clutched his left hand after a tough fall under the rim, but told reporters postgame there was no serious damage.


“I'm great,” he said. “Ready to go.”


Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 30 points and Devin Booker had 22 as Phoenix looks to bounce back in Games 3 and 4 at home.


In Detroit, the Pistons leaned on stifling defense and a third-quarter surge to beat the Orlando Magic 98-83.


Cade Cunningham put up 27 points with 11 assists, and Tobias Harris added 16 points and 11 boards for the top-seeded Pistons, who had been upset in Game 1 of the series on Sunday.


Energy and effort

Still smarting from the Game 1 loss at home, the Pistons came out aggressive defensively, swatting seven of their 11 blocks in the first quarter. The game was still locked 46-46 at the break.


Detroit broke it open with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter. They outscored Orlando 38-16 in the period to take complete command.


“We just played defense,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It's that simple. When we play defense at the level we're capable of, it triggers everything for us.”

  
With six players hitting double figures, the Pistons ended an 11-game home playoff losing streak that stretched back to May 2008.


 

The series now heads to Orlando for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday.




Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 19 points and Paolo Banchero had 18, but the Magic were limited to a season-low 83 points, falling below their previous low of 87 in a March loss to Toronto.



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