On Sunday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets, securing their spot in the 2025 Western Conference Finals. Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was equally motivated to secure this victory for his supporters as he was for his teammates.
After the match, when asked about advancing to the next round, SGA enthusiastically praised Oklahoma City and its fans.
This holds significant importance, particularly for this city. Throughout the entire year, they have shown great support. No matter whether things were going well or poorly, they stood with us. It seems like no other team in the league enjoys such an incredible home-court advantage, which can largely be attributed to their unwavering backing. From wearing t-shirts to shouting, chanting—everything contributes to giving us extra vitality during games. As a result, our performance has improved significantly thanks to their encouragement. The thought that losing today would also mean letting them down was not right. So, we played hard for them too.
Watch that answer below:
His remarks align with those of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, quien
stated during the Thunder-Nuggets game
That OKC’s supporters are more vocal compared to the famously enthusiastic Madison Square Garden audience. (It should be mentioned: Young has a knack for provoking New York fans.)
On Sunday, the Thunder emphatically dominated the Nuggets at their arena, concluding the exciting playoff series with an overwhelming 125-93 victory. SGA led all scorers with 35 points, along with contributing three rebounds and four assists.
OKC will host another game at home on Tuesday as they begin their conference finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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