The last contest of the 2024 calendar year for the Minnesota Timberwolves was a heavyweight matchup in Oklahoma City, which the Thunder ultimately won 113-105. The Wolves had some great moments and showed flashes of being able to compete with an extremely stacked Oklahoma City team, but in the end, it is clear they are still not quite at the level of the number one seed from a season ago.
On Tuesday night, it was the offensive explosion in the third quarter that ended up being the difference for the Thunder. Heading into halftime up by six points, the Timberwolves proceeded to allow 43 OKC points in the third frame and found themselves down 14 to begin the fourth. Who was the catalyst behind this massive offensive output? Who else but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
One of the top guards in the NBA put on a clinic in this one, scoring 40 points to lead all scorers while making 15 of his 23 shot attempts. SGA simply could not be stopped, twisting and turning his way to the bucket around Minnesota defenders all evening. His near-flawless move set combined with his finishing ability and skill at drawing fouls made him look unstoppable, a common occurrence for Gilgeous-Alexander.
After the game, Anthony Edwards heaped praise on the Thunder's best player. "To me, he's unguardable," said Edwards. "As far as any one-on-one matchup, yeah, you can go on and give it up. Just give him two points most of the time ... Anytime he got somebody that he knows can't guard him, he going to score every time."
Anthony Edwards when asked about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
— TF (@ThunderFocus) January 1, 2025
“The MVP of the NBA”
“To me, he’s unguardable.. As far as any one-on-one matchup, yeah, you can go on and give it up. Just give him two points most of the time”
“I feel like he should have won it last year, but he's… pic.twitter.com/pL6V6AYNB7
Edwards says Gilgeous-Alexander should be the MVP
Ant even went so far as to call SGA worthy of the MVP award. "Yeah, he's looking like the MVP, man. He was incredible once again tonight," Edwards said. "He's consistent every night. His team gonna give him the ball and just let him rock out every night. It's nothing to think about. 'Hey, get Shai the ball and he going to get busy, and then we're going to figure it out after that.' I love watching that. It's incredible, man. If he is keeping him like that, I hope they give to him this year for sure."
After this, Ant also said that he thought Gilgeous-Alexander should have taken home MVP last season. SGA was clearly glad to get recognition from such a high-level competitor, and he gave some praise back to Edwards as well. "The best satisfaction is when your peers and the guys that do the same thing for a living at a very high level that you do recognize and respect your craft and your talent," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That's a really good feeling. Obviously the caliber player is, the sky's the limit."
This was a nice exchange between two of the brightest stars in the NBA right now. And when it comes to Edwards' assessment of Shai, he is 100% correct. The driving force behind OKC's offense is absolutely unguardable when he is at his best. The display of talent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander treats viewers to on a nightly basis is reminiscent of some of the greatest players in the last 30 years. Excellent body control, top-notch touch around the rim, high-level playmaking and a deadly midrange game are all characteristics of some of the all-time greats.
Anthony Edwards of course exhibits some of these traits as well. But at the moment, SGA and his team are the top dogs in the Western Conference. As the old saying goes, to be the best, you have to beat the best. Ant has made it clear he knows exactly the type of competition the Timberwolves have in Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.