After losing their first game of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Nuggets, OKC bounced back with a statement win in Game 2, crushing Denver by 43 points (149-106) on Wednesday night.
The Thunder didn’t just win – they dominated.
Charles Barkley couldn’t contain his excitement after the series tied 1-1. The NBA legend boldly declared Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his MVP front-runner and made an even bolder prediction: SGA would lead Oklahoma City to a championship.
"I think that team’s gonna win the championship," Chuck said about the Thunder.
It’s easy to see why Barkley was so impressed. He had just witnessed OKC put up a historic 87-point first half against one of the league’s elite teams.
"This is the best defensive team in the NBA, and this guy right here [SGA] is the MVP," he gushed during the halftime show. "They can already extend it to him. We’re gonna see him in the Western Conference Finals when he gets his MVP trophy."
SGA and Nikola Jokic remain the top contenders in this year’s MVP race. While the Serbian star posted an impressive double-double in Denver’s Game 1 win, Gilgeous-Alexander answered back with a nearly perfect Game 2 performance.
He dropped 34 points while shooting an incredible 11-of-13 from the field. Even more impressive? He went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Teammate Jalen Williams didn’t hold back when praising SGA after the game.
"I’ve said it before, SGA is going to win the MVP. He the best player in basketball," Williams declared. "It’s orthodox, it ain’t the s**iness that people want that come along with it, but he can dislodge anybody off their spot."
This season has been a breakthrough for the 26-year-old guard. In his seventh NBA season, SGA claimed the 2024-25 scoring title with an impressive 32.7 points per game.
He’s not just scoring, either. The Thunder star is filling the stat sheet with 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting an efficient 51.9 percent.
What makes Oklahoma City so dangerous isn’t just their star power – it’s their complete team effort, especially on defense.
"You don’t really have a weak link," Isaiah Hartenstein explained. "When you have your stars playing at a high level defensively, everyone has to lock in. Just seeing your top guys are making those sacrifices, everyone kind of has to buy in. So I think that it starts with them and then the rest."
With the series now tied heading back to Denver, the question becomes: can SGA and the Thunder continue this momentum and prove Barkley’s championship prediction right?
