OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he spent "all day" thinking about his Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff elimination at the hands of the Mavericks last spring and then singlehandedly outscored Dallas' star duo Tuesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander's 39-point outing in the Thunder's 118-104 win over the Mavs in an NBA Cup quarterfinal -- punching the Thunder's ticket to Las Vegas, where they'll face Wednesday's Golden State-Houston winner in a semifinal on Saturday -- was the kind of performance that can fuel an MVP campaign.
But Gilgeous-Alexander gave credit to a couple of his teammates -- Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace -- for him exceeding the combined point total of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.