Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder look to keep rolling against Suns tonight on TSN
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Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder battle the Phoenix Suns in a Western Conference showdown on Wednesday night.
The Thunder come into the contest having defeated the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 125-96 on Monday in what was shaping up to be a battle between two favourites for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out with right patella tendinopathy prior to tip-off, and was joined by Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez on the sidelines for the second night of a back-to-back for Milwaukee.
Oklahoma City cruised to a win in the rematch of December’s NBA Cup final, with Gilgeous-Alexander recording a game-high 34 points, six assists, and three rebounds in just 22 minutes of action in the blowout.
The Hamilton, Ont. native poured in 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the first quarter alone, before checking out of the game for good with 6:17 remaining in the fourth and the win comfortably in hand.
Gilgeous-Alexander has played his way into pole position for what would be his first-career MVP award after earning back-to-back top-five finishes over the last two seasons.
The 26-year-old guard is leading the league in scoring at 32.5 points per game, while helping the Thunder to the top spot in the Western Conference at 39-9 on the season, just one game back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA.
Phoenix dropped to 25-24 on the year after falling 121-119 to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime on Tuesday for their second consecutive loss.
The Suns could be hard-pressed to get back in the win column without star forward Kevin Durant, who is listed as doubtful for the contest with a left ankle sprain.
Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring with 34 points in Tuesday’s loss, while adding four assists and three rebounds across 47 minutes played.
The 10th-year guard out of Kentucky ranks eighth in the NBA with 26.1 points per outing, while averaging 6.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
He became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, passing Suns legend and Hall of Famer Walter Davis’ mark of 15,666.
Phoenix was swept in all three meetings against Oklahoma City last season, and dropped their only matchup against the Thunder this season 99-83 in NBA Cup group play on Nov. 15
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the win with 28 points , and will be aiming for a similar result when the two square off later this evening.