Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lauds Jalen Williams as Thunder beat Wolves to take 3-1 lead

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showered praise on Jalen Williams as they defeated Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 by 128-126 to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals. Williams scored a  playoff-career-high 34 points as he played at the top of his game.

Williams finished 13-of-24 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, which is the most threes he has ever hit in his career.

Jalen Williams said he had the freedom to play without any scrutiny and that helped him bring his best to the court.

“I feel like if you’re not really good, you’re probably not going to have any [scrutiny], so just play with it, just keep going,” Williams said. “A lot of people that are talking about me can’t do what I do, and I know that, and I think that gives me a lot of confidence to just go out there and do whatever the team needs.”

“He was special,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He was really good tonight from start to finish. He picked his spots great. He was aggressive. He stepped into everything. He was who he is. He’s gotten all these awards for good reason. He proved it tonight.”

Gilgeous-Alexander also had a playoff-career-high scoring total with 40 points, but shot 13-of-30 from the floor. He also added 10 assists and 9 rebounds.

Thunder guard Luguentz Dort also showered praise on Jalen Williams for learning through his experience and delivering for the team.

“He showed a lot of growth, honestly,” said Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, who joins Gilgeous-Alexander as the team’s longest-tenured players at six campaigns. “You grow through experience, and he’s been getting better every game, every series. He’s an All-Star for a reason, and he’s going to show up in those type of games.”

The fifth game of the series will be played on Wednesday.