It was a heartbreaking Game 3 for Oklahoma City. Before the wounds could heal from its Game 1 blunder, the Thunder let another clutch-time game slip through their fingers.

A lot went wrong for the OKC Thunder. Not only just the final few minutes of the contest, but a plethora of mistakes to clean up that led to clutch time. The Thunder continued to miss free throws, still have not shot the ball well from 3-point land on the road in the playoffs and got out of sorts of offense in the second half.

“The game gets slower, execution matters more. In those moments when the game slows down, it
usually comes down to your best players making shots and making plays. I didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight and I think that’s the main reason for the outcome. I think it’s more so that than
anything, to be honest,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame Friday.

Gilgeous-Alexander posted a pedestrian stat line of 18 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a turnover on 31% shooting from the floor, 1-for-6 from 3 and 3-for-5 from the charity stripe. It was only right that the face of the team took accountability for the game. While it is not all on Gilgeous-Alexander, a cleaner game from him leads to an OKC win.

It is important to remember, the entire team is still growing. Despite your familiarity with this bunch and the feeling that this has been years in the making –– This is just Gilgeous-Alexander’s second ever playoff run as the guy.

“A few of the shots felt good, more than a few, they didn’t go in, obviously. Ultimately, it felt like a lot of
settling for jump shots. I always say the consistency of jump shots always goes up and goes down. You may get hot tonight, some nights you miss. The most reliable thing is the paint and the rim. I don’t think I did a good enough job again of that late game. There are probably various reasons why. Myself and the rest of the team, we’ll figure out why for the next situation. I think I for sure could get better,” The Thunder Superstar said following Game 3.

Despite the tough loss, the cameras caught the soon-to-be-named MVP smiling as he jaunted off the court following the Thunder’s overtime loss. Predictably, this caused a stir across social media. Following the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about cracking that smile.

“Some fans were taunting me. And I know how the game goes. I know how life is. It’s easy to talk when you’re up, and I don’t ever want to show them that I’m defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing’s written. The series isn’t over,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have a lot to be optimistic about. I didn’t perform down the stretch but I have an opportunity the next game and the next game after that to make up for it.”

The Thunder’s three-time All-Star is right. There are plenty of things to be optimistic about. This was always going to be a war between these two squads, this scribe even picked the series to go the distance. Losses are part of that.

Oklahoma City has to respond in Game 4, with its backs against the wall, to even this series back up at two games apiece. A loss puts the Thunder down 3-1, an unlikely feat for a young team to be able to overcome.