NBA Playoffs: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops 34 as Thunder rout Nuggets

OKLAHOMA CITY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a dominant performance, scoring 34 points in three quarters to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a crushing 149-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets, leveling the NBA Western Conference semifinal series 1-1 at the Paycom Center on Wednesday night.

The Thunder came out firing, setting an NBA playoff record with 87 points in the first half, surpassing the Cleveland Cavaliers' previous mark of 86 points set on June 9, 2017, against the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City also tied the all-time record for most points in any half of a playoff game, matching the Milwaukee Bucks' 87 points in the second half against the Nuggets on April 23, 1978.

“Basically, it was one team playing tonight,” said Denver center Nikola Jokic, reflecting on his team’s lopsided loss.

Gilgeous-Alexander was instrumental in the Thunder's win, adding four rebounds and eight assists alongside his game-high 34 points.

Oklahoma City approached Game 2 with urgency, having dropped the series opener to Denver.

“We knew what was at stake tonight,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.

“We came out desperate. We wanted to just take care of and control the things that we knew we could. And we did a pretty good job of that—specifically at the start of the game. That start carried us through the rest of the night,” he added.

Russell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 19 points, while Jokic, who had scored 42 in Game 1, was held to just 17 points in a quieter outing.

The Thunder led 124-76 after three quarters, with their largest lead reaching 49 points.

It is pertinent to mention that Game 3 of the series will take place Friday in Denver.