SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER scored 35 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Denver Nuggets 125-93 to book their place in the NBA Western Conference finals on Sunday.
After a back-and-forth series with little to choose between the two teams, the top-seeded Thunder asserted their dominance in a one-sided game seven to seal a 4-3 series victory.
The win sends Oklahoma City into a showdown with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves for a place in next month’s NBA Finals, with game one set for Tuesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is vying with Denver’s Nikola Jokic for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, was backed by 24 points from Jalen Williams.
The Nuggets scoring was led by Jokic with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Christian Braun added 19 and Jamal Murray 13.
The Nuggets started brightly at OKC’s Paycom Center, seizing an early 11-point lead midway through the first quarter and taking a five-point cushion into the second quarter at 26-21.
But the game flipped decisively in the second quarter as Oklahoma City unleashed the full force of their potent offense, erupting for 39 points to Denver’s 20.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams did the damage for the home team, scoring 17 points in the second quarter from 8-of-11 shooting to send Oklahoma City into halftime with a 60-46 lead.
Oklahoma City picked up where they left off in the second quarter when the third quarter got underway, outscoring Denver 37-26 to move into an unassailable lead.
The Thunder kept the points flowing into the fourth, and led by a massive margin of 43 points at 125-82 with just under four minutes remaining before coasting home.
_[– © AFP 2025](https://www.afp.com/en/home)_