SGA's clutch honor
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award and helped the Thunder seize momentum. - The award cited 175 clutch points and a 6.5 points-per-game clutch mark for the season. - The recognition came as Oklahoma City took control of their first-round matchup, with Game 2 highlights posted online (x.com) and the game recap available on the league's channel (youtube.com).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA’s 2025-26 Clutch Player of the Year award on April 21, adding another honor as Oklahoma City opened the playoffs with a 2-0 lead over Phoenix. (nba.com) The league said Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 175 clutch points and 6.5 points per game in clutch time this season. The NBA defines clutch time as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The award is voted on by a global media panel and is now in its fourth year. Gilgeous-Alexander joined De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry and Jalen Brunson on the winners list. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The timing lined up with Oklahoma City’s first-round series against the Suns. On April 22, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and added nine assists in a 120-107 Game 2 win that pushed the Thunder ahead 2-0. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Oklahoma City entered the series as the West’s No. 1 seed, and the Game 2 result kept intact a dominant early-playoff run for the Thunder’s young core. NBA.com said the win improved Oklahoma City to 10-0 in first-round playoff games. (nba.com) (nba.com) The Clutch Player award is a regular-season honor, but it lands differently in April because the same late-game possessions now decide playoff games. Gilgeous-Alexander’s case rested on volume and efficiency in those narrow-score minutes over 82 games. (nba.com) (nba.com) The Thunder have built around that steadiness. Gilgeous-Alexander is already listed by the league with an NBA Most Valuable Player award, an NBA title and now a Clutch Player trophy on his career honors page. (nba.com) Game 2 also carried a complication for Oklahoma City: NBA.com’s series page said Jalen Williams left with a hamstring injury. Even with that, the Thunder protected home court and kept control of the matchup before the series shifted to Phoenix. (nba.com) For now, the award and the scoreboard point the same way. Gilgeous-Alexander was the league’s top closer in the regular season, and through two games, Oklahoma City has looked like a team expecting him to finish the job. (nba.com) (nba.com)
