Steve Kerr shares Funny Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Plea to Thunder Coach-NBC Sports Bay Area & California

On By Littum

NBA trainers around the league have not yet cracked the code on how to stop Oklahoma City Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

So Warrior’s coach Steve Kerr kept his approach simple Wednesday night by going directly to SGA’s enabler.

“I don’t know what to do with Shai. I asked (Thunder Coach) Mark (DaigneAult) at some point to just leave him on the bench for a few minutes more. He didn’t meet,” Kerr told journalists after the Golden State Victory of 116-109 at the Chase Center. “I think Shai came back with as 10 minutes left in the fourth, and I looked down at Mark like ‘You can’t give him two minutes anymore? It would be really useful to us.’ And he just laughed.

“It’s to choose your married to him. The good thing for us down the stretch is that we had the lead, so we didn’t mind giving up 2’s. We just didn’t want to flash or send a double team on him and risk to give up open 3s.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 of Oklahoma City’s 34 points in the opening quarter. He was well on his way to match or surpass the career mound, he put just a week before when he fell 54 points against Utah Jazz.

The NBA MVP-FroneTrunner was only two points shy and ended with 52 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field and 18 of 21 from the free throwing line with three rebounds, four assists and a steal of 39 minutes. Kerr’s defensive scheme to let Gilgeous-Alexander do his things, but try to limit weapons around him who worked.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s partner-in-crime Jalen Williams contributed 26 points. The rest of the OKCS starters combined to 10 points.

So while Kerr’s plot about convincing DaigneAult to rest his superstar a little longer, the Warriors coach’s defensive approach did not fall just enough to waste Gilgeous Alexanders 50 burger.

Defeating the hottest team at the Western Conference was exactly what Warriors needed in uncertain times, and it should give them the lift they have longed for as they start in the second half of the NBA season 2024-25.

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