What Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 10-for-10 heater proves about his game

Perseverance and discipline were key when things went wrong for the All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the miss Thunder’s brave 21-point comeback win away from homeGilgeous-Alexander missed his first five shots. The Miami Heat sprinted out to a nine-point lead before Shai went a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor in the Thunder’s game-defining 15-0 run as Oklahoma City won 124-112.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reached out to Gilgeous-Alexander consistencyand how it rubbed off on the rest of his teammates in their disciplined approach that led to the Heat being outscored 39-26 in the third quarter.

“He’s always the same guy. He’s got incredible consistency, which is really a challenge for any team, but a challenge for us lately because we’ve been shooting the ball really bad in an eight-to-10 game stretch from three,” Daigneault said. “And, on a lot of them, we got really good shots. Our shot quality in the last ten games is better than the first 30.”

“And yet, we didn’t shoot it well. You have to have grit and discipline and faith to stick with it. He’s got that individually. I thought we had that tonight as a team.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including two 3-pointers, eight assists and five rebounds. Jalen Williams scored 18 points on an efficient 9-for-13, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Chet Holmgren added 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

The Thunder scored 39 points off 23 turnovers while shooting 51% from the floor to the Heat’s 53%, including 53% (17-of-32) from deep. Oklahoma City’s defense turned out to be the difference in the game, leading to Miami being outscored by 13 points in the third quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lowers the bars after the Thunder win

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sent the Jazz into overtime in his previous outing before returning for Sunday’s win against the Heat. After the tough win, Gilgeous-Alexander said his approach never wavers, allowing him to settle into critical moments with ease and composure.

“It’s definitely the work ethic. It’s the mindset as well. I made it tonight. I missed a lot of shots,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think once an athlete — me in this situation — realizes if you’re going to make it or you’re going to miss, I’m going to have to do whatever it takes tomorrow to get better and get ready for the next game. Whether I make it or miss it seems big. But in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really change much.

“And I think that mindset, as well as confidence in your game, takes the weight of the moment off your shoulders. And I think the toughest players in the history of the sport understand that and that’s what makes them who they are,” Gilgeous-Alexander concluded.

The Thunder will host the Spurs at the Pike Center on Tuesday.