Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Discusses OKC Thunder's Resilience Ahead of Crucial Game 7
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a chance to close out the Western Conference Finals on the road and punch their ticket back to the NBA Finals. It didn't happen.
The San Antonio Spurs came out at home in Game 6 with something to prove and never let up, rolling to a 118-91 win to even the series at three games apiece.
A big part of San Antonio's turnaround was how they handled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The two-time MVP couldn't find his footing all night, finishing with 15 points, four assists, and two turnovers on 6-for-18 shooting. For a player of his caliber, that's not a performance that goes unnoticed. Oklahoma City now has to regroup fast with a Game 7 on the line.
The Thunder have been in this spot before though. They've come back with a win after a tough loss against the Denver Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers in previous playoff runs and found ways to close things out.
When Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the team's mindset after the loss, he kept it straightforward and made clear the group isn't rattled.
"Yeah, we're just a motivated group," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. "We accept the challenge ahead. Every game is going to present a different challenge and obviously when you lose, it hurts a little more and there's a little bit of extra motivation and we tend to fight a little bit harder."
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Gilgeous-Alexander knows what's expected of him when the Thunder need a response. In a league driven by star performances, a game like this one draws attention and he's not someone who shies away from that. Outside of a dominant Game 2 and stretches of Game 5, this series has run below his usual standard.
He shot 33 percent from the field in Game 6 and missed all five of his three-point attempts. That's not the level Oklahoma City needs from its best player in a closeout situation.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning back-to-back NBA MVP and swept the major postseason awards during Oklahoma City's 2025 championship run. The resume speaks for itself. Game 7 is where legacies get added to and the Thunder will need him at his best to get back to the NBA Finals.
Related: Victor Wembanyama Shares What Drove Spurs in Game 6 Win Over Thunder
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 10:17 PM.