Thunder take 3-1 lead as SGA drops 40 on Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- There's a level of scrutiny that comes with extraordinary success in the NBA until a team wins a championship.

As Oklahoma City soared to a 68-win campaign this season, one question that was frequently given the spotlight treatment was whether the Thunder's roster included the caliber of second scoring option necessary to make a title run.

On Monday night at Minnesota's Target Center, the answer was a resounding yes.

Jalen Williams, a first-time All-Star and third-team All-NBA selection in his third season, had the best offensive performance of his postseason career in a 128-126 Game 4 win over the Timberwolves that put Oklahoma City only one win away from an NBA Finals berth. He scored a playoff-career-high 34 points.

"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."

Williams finished 13-of-24 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. That's the most made 3s of his career in any game, highlighted by a couple of clutch shots off feeds from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Oklahoma City protected its lead late.

"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 he wasn't as efficient as usual, going 13-of-30 from the floor. He also had 10 assists and 9 rebounds.

It was Williams, 24, who dominated when the game was in the balance. He scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter, putting Gilgeous-Alexander in position to seal the win with free throw shooting in the final couple of minutes.

Williams, who had a poor shooting series when the Thunder were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in last season's Western Conference semifinals, has had an up-and-down playoff run. He endured a 10-of-43 shooting funk over a three-game stretch last round, but he busted out of the slump in emphatic fashion with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting in a Game 7 rout over the Denver Nuggets.

With the pressure intensified with the Thunder coming off the most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history in Game 3, Williams started hot and finished strong in Game 4, opening with 13 points in the first quarter and closing with his 14-point flurry in the fourth.

"He showed a lot of growth, honestly," said Thunder guard Lu Dort, who joins Gilgeous-Alexander as the team's longest-tenured players. "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."

Williams was held to 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting in the Game 3 rout, when Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the Timberwolves forced him right. He adapted to Minnesota's approach in Game 4.

"He's still learning," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He's a young player still, and these are rich experiences for him. ... Tonight, he just kind of took what they gave him. He still found his cracks. He's still able to get in both directions, but he just was in control most of the time. He never seemed sped up. He never seemed like they were dictating anything. That's what the great offensive players can do and just a great adjustment by him tonight in the game."

Oklahoma City power forward/center Chet Holmgren, Williams' classmate in the 2022 draft, also rose to the occasion in Game 4. He scored 9 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

According to ESPN Research, the 95 points combined by Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are the most by a Thunder trio in a playoff game since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Gilgeous-Alexander considers that production a glimpse of what's to come.

"It still has so much more room to grow, which is the scary part," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I'm 26, which seems old. They're 23 and 24. They haven't even gotten close to hitting their prime yet. Both of them are just out there playing on feel and their talent. I'm excited for the future."

One win away from winning the West, Williams emphasized the importance of focusing solely on the present. It's been a season of ascension for him, earning a second-team All-Defensive spot among his other honors, but now is not the time for him to appreciate his accomplishments or look forward to the Finals.

"I try not to get too ahead of myself with it, to be honest," Williams said. "There's still a lot of series left. We still have to go do a job this next game against a team that's very good. So that's honestly how I think about it. I think after the season, whenever that is, I'll be able to reflect on it and that's more the time to enjoy it."