The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off a stellar Game 4 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in dramatic fashion. For the first time in this series, it was a nail-biting contest, and it did not disappoint.
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The Thunder came out on top with a final score of 128-126. Oklahoma City now has a chokehold on the series with a commanding 3-1 lead and has a chance to close the series out in Game 5 in front of their home crowd.
The reason the Thunder have a 3-1 series lead is because of their best player and league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander was a man possessed in Game 4, making timely buckets all game long and especially down the stretch. Once again, he proved why he is one of the top players in the league and arguably the best player.
While he proved that to be the case, the Timberwolves fans were giving him a hard time, constantly chanting 'free throw merchant' whenever he'd be at the free throw line.
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the chants, and he had the perfect response.
"In terms of the label, I don't care. Never cared. I've shot more free throws than I did this season. Because we're on the top of people's radar it's a little more noticeable... kind of see it as a compliment"
In the series, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 11.1 free throw attempts per game. In Game 3, the Thunder's only loss of the series, he only attempted four. As for Game 4, Gilgeous-Alexander went back to his old self, attempting 14 free throws and knocking down 12 of them.
In addition to getting to the free-throw line, he was stellar, recording 40 points on 13-of-30 shooting from the field, 10 assists, nine rebounds, and one steal in 40 minutes of action.
Overall, Gilgeous-Alexander has been his MVP self in the series, averaging 30.8 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc.
ESPN's Doris Burke even went so far as to call the 2025 MVP 'free-throw merchant.'
The 26-year-old led the league with 7.9 made free throws per game this season. Drawing fouls is part of his specialty, and so far, it's working in his favor.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 10:57 AM.