The Golden State Warriors picked up a big 116-109 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still presented a problem for Golden State, just as he does for the rest of the league. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 52 points in the game, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game said that he did not know what to do to defend him, resorting to asking Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to keep him off the floor.

“I don't know what to do with Shai,” Steve Kerr said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I asked Mark (Daigneault) at one point to just to leave him on the bench for a couple more minutes and he didn't comply, so. I think Shai came back in with like 10 minutes left in the fourth, and I looked down to Mark and said, ‘Can't give him two more minutes? That would be really helpful for us.' and he just laughed.”

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The Warriors were in a favorable spot to close the game, and Kerr said the strategy was to essentially let him score two-pointers, rather than risk giving up open three-point attempts.

“It's pick your poison with him, you know?” Kerr said. “And the good thing for us down the stretch is we had the lead, so we didn't mind giving up the twos, but we just didn't want to blitz or send a double-team at him and risk giving up open threes. But easier to do that when you have the lead, and that's what that third quarter allowed us to, you know, get back in the game and we didn't have to start scrambling on Shai.”

For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins led the way with 27 points, while Stephen Curry scored 21 in the game. The Warriors erased a 34-20 deficit after the first quarter when Gilgeous-Alexander went off. As a result of the win, Golden State advanced to 24-23 on the season. Up next is a home game on Friday against the Phoenix Suns.