Shai dazzles, sends Thunder to 2nd round

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder swept into the second round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs on Monday with a 131-122 victory at Phoenix.

The top-seeded Thunder captured the Western Conference best-of-seven series 4-0, completing a third consecutive sweep in the opening round.

“We just came in ready,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“Love to play basketball, a group full of great kids that have fun together.”

“We do it for each other. None of us are selfish. We all want the next man to succeed and when you have those three things and put them together you get success.”

Oklahoma City will meet either the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in a second-round series. The Lakers lead that matchup 3-1.

“Ultimately, we’ve got to get better in the days between our next opponent,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Thunder became the first team to reach the second round on the same night the upstart Orlando Magic pushed Eastern Conference top seed Detroit to the brink of elimination with a 94-88 triumph to seize a 3-1 series advantage.

The Denver Nuggets avoided an early exit as Serbian center Nikola Jokic had a triple double with 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds to spark the hosts over Minnesota 125-113, pulling Denver within 3-2 against the Timberwolves.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player who had a playoff career high 42 points in a game three victory, added eight assists to spark a visiting Thunder squad that boasts the top post-season scoring attack and defensive statistics.

Chet Holmgren added 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who also had 22 points from Ajay Mitchell and 18 points and 12 rebounds from Isaiah Hartenstein.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 24 points.

In Orlando, Desmond Bane scored 22 points, hitting 5-of-10 shots from three-point range to lead the Magic, who can send off the Pistons with a victory on Wednesday in Detroit.

Franz Wagner scored 19 points for Orlando before being benched with a sore right calf while Paolo Banchero added 18 and grabbed eight rebounds.

The Pistons, whose 60-22 record topped the East, must win three in a row to avoid an epic ouster at the hands of eighth seed Orlando, which went 45-37.

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 25 points while Tobias Harris added 20 for the Pistons, who committed 20 turnovers, twice as many as Orlando.

The Magic have not reached the second round of the playoffs since 2010, dropping six series in the first round and missing the post-season nine times.

The Pistons have not reached the second round since 2008, dropping four first-round matchups and missing the playoffs 13 times.

Bane banked in a three-point shot with 1:16 remaining to give the Magic a 92-86 lead and Orlando added late free throws to seal Detroit’s fate, the Pistons going more than five minutes without a basket from the floor.

In Denver, the Nuggets forced a game six at Minnesota on Thursday with a blowout triumph thanks to three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic and his teammates.

Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Spencer Jones had 20 and Cameron Johnson added 18 for Denver while Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points.

“We did a good job of bringing the energy for 48 minutes,” Murray said.

“We’ve got to be poised and relaxed when we go to their building.”

The T-Wolves were without two top guards. Anthony Edwards is out with a bone bruise and hyper-extended left knee while Donte DiVincenzo will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a ruptured right Achilles tendon.