BBNBA: SGA squeaks past Pelicans, OKC one win away from Playoffs

The dream lives on for the Oklahoma City Thunder! If there is one man pulling the strings and waving his magic wand so this euphoria of a season continues for OKC, it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On Wednesday night in a win-or-go-home scenario, SGA delivered once again.

Oklahoma City traveled to New Orleans in the 9-seed vs. 10-seed Play-In matchup in the Western Conference. Someone was going to be eliminated after 48 grueling minutes of basketball. That someone was New Orleans. The Thunder were victorious 123-118 and now will advance to one final Play-In game with a shot to make the NBA Playoffs on the line.

The captain of OKC’s young ship — the second-youngest team in the league, in fact — has been Gilgeous-Alexander. In the biggest game of the year for both the Thunder and Pelicans, SGA led all scorers. The 24-year-old Canadian guard finished with 32 points (11-22 FG; 2-5 3PT), five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 41 minutes. Pressure? This man truly must not feel any.

SGA was a machine in the third quarter, leading OKC in a resurgent charge that saw them outscore New Orleans 39-24 in the frame. He dropped 17 in the third all by himself.

Down the stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander was a dagger. Off one foot, SGA floated in a massive bucket which gave OKC a one-point lead with 28 seconds remaining. In under five seconds, he was sent to the charity stripe twice. Gilgeous-Alexander sunk four free throws to close the coffin on New Orleans’ season.

Making plays down the stretch pic.twitter.com/xYCHmiJQcp

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 13, 2023

In close games, why not back the Thunder? In a postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, SGA explained why his squad can get it done.

“We’ve been battle tested. We’ve played in a lot of close games all year, for the past couple of years. Even when the season wasn’t going our way, we’ve played in a lot of close games. We have good habits and we know what gets it done down the stretch,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Those good habits are being seen, and on a national stage may I add. Oklahoma City now has one last date with destiny. SGA’s ship is oh-so-close to the promised land.

BBNBA drama

If the Play-In was a soap opera, BBNBA would have the lead actors. Along with Gilgeous-Alexander, the former Wildcat trio of Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN), Bam Adebayo (MIA), and Tyler Herro (MIA) all have one shot remaining to make the Playoffs. In the West, we have SGA’s Thunder against Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then in the East, it’s a Miami vs. Chicago showdown. My goodness, it’s about to get good.

When Oklahoma City takes on Minnesota, one’s heart may be torn. One of BBNBA’s brightest stars in Towns and Gilgeous-Alexander will be sent home. The other will get a best-of-seven series against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets. How do we settle this?

Well on one hand, there’s SGA, who averaged 31.4 PPG this season and is going to receive some sort of All-NBA honors. Then there’s Towns, who missed nearly three months due to injury but comes into the showdown averaging over 20 points and eight rebounds. Minnesota hopes to avenge its Play-In loss of two nights ago while the Thunder look to play spoiler yet again. It’s like picking your favorite child.

Two BBNBA studs, one game, and unlimited possibilities.

Chopping block

In the East, it’s a somber mood. Miami looks to salvage postseason hopes because of a lackluster performance against Atlanta on Tuesday. Herro didn’t have a bad night. He was the leading scorer for either team, dropping 26 points on 12-23 shooting. Adebayo was a little quieter despite a near-double-double. Bam went for 12 points and nine rebounds in Miami’s 116-105 home loss.

The Heat will get a redemption shot at home again when they welcome the Bulls on Friday. The winner of that one gets the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. While the mouth-watering possibility of a Miami-Boston rematch is now out the window, Miami still has everything to play for. If the Heat fail to beat Chicago and go 0-2 in the Play-In, South Beach could very well turn into a hotbed of turmoil.

A justification for “How do you go from one shot away from an NBA Finals appearance to missing out on the Playoffs?” should be one of the most pressing matters. However, the final Play-In game is still to be dueled out in the East. Let’s hold the bombardment of questions for BBNBA-alum Pat Riley until then.

The last two Play-In contests will be on Friday evening. Miami vs. Chicago will be at 7:00 p.m. on TNT, while Minnesota vs. Oklahoma City is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. Cancel those Friday night plans, there’s basketball to watch.