On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder were locked into another slugfest against the Denver Nuggets in what has been a barnburner of a second-round matchup thus far. Facing an eight-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, the Thunder relied on their depth yet again to cut into the deficit, paving the way for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to seal the deal late in the game, making two straight triples to give the Thunder a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 114-105 win to earn a 3-2 series lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander has had a few rough shooting nights earlier in the series, but he has made up for it over the past two games. In Game 5, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 31 points on 12-23 shooting from the field, and it was the defensive attention that he drew that opened up Williams' go-ahead triple that proved to be the springboard for the Thunder's Game 5 win.

After their Game 3 loss, Gilgeous-Alexander drew plenty of headlines for the huge smile he had as he walked off the court. But this composure the Thunder star has and his vocal leadership has been so crucial for OKC all season long, with Williams crediting the presumptive 2025 NBA MVP for rallying the team.

“[SGA] just gives everybody confidence. He's a killer. I think that's infectious. When you see how bad [SGA] wants it, it makes you want it even more. You can't help but play hard for somebody that's leading by example like that,” Williams told TNT's Inside the NBA booth following the Thunder's Game 5 win.

As the old NBA adage goes, teams take after the identity of their best player, and Gilgeous-Alexander's unselfishness, indomitable will to win, as well as his poise equip the Thunder with the necessary tools to deal with adversity. And in this series against the Nuggets, they have certainly dealt with plenty of that.

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate after a scoring against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Charles Barkley’s bold Thunder NBA Finals take
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) talks to tv reporters after his team defeated the Denver Nuggets during the game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center
Thunder’s Jalen Williams doesn’t know what he yelled after clutch Game 5 3-pointer

Thunder on the cusp of making it to WCF for first time since 2016

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) runs down the court
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

This Thunder team won 68 games in the regular season, and yet many doubt their ability to go deep into the playoffs. But with OKC being the more composed team over the past two games, if their fourth-quarter execution over Games 4 and 5 is any indication, this team definitely looks like it's ready to compete for a championship.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be a magnet for criticism with the way he uses the free-throw game to his advantage, but he's the perfect leader for this nascent Thunder squad that is now on the cusp of making it back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016.