Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder lock up spot in Western Conference Finals

For the first time in nearly 10 years, the Oklahoma City Thunder will return to the Western Conference Finals — and they can thank MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for getting them there.

Behind 35 points from Gilgeous-Alexander, the top-seeded Thunder took it to the four-seeded Denver Nuggets in Sunday’s Game 7, cruising in the second half to a dominant 125-93 victory at home. The Nuggets sprinted out to the early lead before OKC’s offense found a rhythm going into halftime. The Thunder led by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first.

With the win, SGA advances to the first Conference Finals appearance of his seven-year career. Alongside fellow Wildcat guard Cason Wallace, they’ll lead the Thunder into the next round against Julius Randle, Rob Dillingham, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. That series begins on Tuesday night in OKC. Even with only two teams remaining in the Western Conference, we’ve still got four Kentucky guys roaming the floor, three of them playing significant minutes (sorry, Dillingham).

Gilgeous-Alexander was terrific all series long against Denver, but hit another gear in the final few games. He dropped 31 points in a Game 5 win and followed it up with 32 more in a Game 6 loss. But his 35 points on Sunday marked a series-high. SGA shot an efficient 12-19 from the field (3-4 3PT) to get there while adding four assists, three rebounds, and three steals to his stat line in 36 minutes played. And oh yeah, he didn’t turn the ball over once.

Wallace chipped in seven points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 28 minutes off the pine for OKC. Whenever the second-year guard is on the floor, he plays winning basketball — on both ends.

But while there was a celebration to be had in the Thunder locker room after the win, there was disappointment coming from the other end of the floor. Nikola Jokic, who is expected to finish second in MVP voting behind Gilgeous-Alexander, was held in check (by his standards) in Game 7: “only” 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists with five turnovers.

Jokic’s co-star, Jamal Murray, struggled to his a groove offensively. The former ‘Cat finished with a series-low 13 points on 6-16 shooting (1-8 3PT). It was a so-so playoffs for Murray, who just hasn’t been able to replicate the postseason success he had in the 2020 bubble and the Nuggets’ title run in 2023.

Karl-Anthony Towns representing Kentucky in the East

The Western Conference Finals won’t be the only series with some Kentucky flavor, though. Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks will take on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. And had Isaiah Jackson not suffered an Achilles injury early into the season for Indiana, we’d have even more Wildcats in the final two rounds.

Towns has been far from perfect through the first two series, but he’s done more than enough to contribute to New York’s wins. In the Knicks’ six Eastern Conference Semifinal games against the Boston Celtics, KAT averaged 19.8 points and 12.7 rebounds per outing while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. His three-point shooting (3-19) and foul troubles (4.3 per game) were issues against Boston, but he can remedy that by bouncing back against the Pacers.

Game 1 between the Knicks and Pacers is set for Wednesday. Between the four remaining teams, none of them has won an NBA Finals since the 1970s.