Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives ‘fun’ answer after losing Game 1 against Denver Nuggets

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first defeat of the NBA Playoffs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. After sweeping the Grizzlies and getting nearly a week of rest, the Thunder were stunned by an epic Denver comeback.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points on the night and almost got a triple-double, too. However, he shot under 50% from the field and was unable to stop a Nuggets run in the 4th quarter. Despite all this, SGA gave quite an unfazed answer in the postgame press conference.

"Should be good, should be fun. We're gonna find out what we're really made of. It's the game of life. It's about how you respond to getting knocked down"

-Shai Gilgeous Alexander after the Game 1 loss pic.twitter.com/KLWY9Wa6b0
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 6, 2025

"Should be good, should be fun," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We're going to find out what we're made of. What we're really made of. And we couldn't expect it to be smooth sailing through this whole journey. No journey in life is, and we know that.

"Today is a bump in the road, no one expects to lose. Especially that way. But it's the game of life, so. It's about how you respond to getting knocked down and that's what we gotta do next game."

This is a level-headed take from Shai, and it showcases his collected style of leadership. Having lost Game 1 at home and lost home-court advantage, the Thunder will need to channel this calmness if they want to win this series.

Nikola Jokic looked unstoppable on Monday night. The NBA playoffs are all about superstar matchups, so Gilgeous-Alexander will also need to perform if he wants to back up his optimistic words.

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