Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sounds off on Kenny Atkinson's spat with Lu Dort

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OKLAHOMA CITY — After the Oklahoma City Thunder's 136-116 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got plenty off his chest, including Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson going off on Lu Dort. After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander discussed the Thunder's emphatic 30-2 run that changed the game's complexion. Oklahoma City's faithful rejoiced as the lead ballooned to 42 points at the Paycom Center.

However, while Dort was celebrating with fans near the Cavaliers' bench, Atkinson took exception to the Thunder veteran's getting the crowd riled up. This caught Gilgeous-Alexander's attention before the All-Star intervened.

"He didn't like the celebration. Thought it was a little bit of taunting," Gilgeous-Alexander said." But I didn't think it was… it was nothing towards their team, their players, their coaches. It was just us and our fans having a good time."

SGA addresses Kenny Atkinson's reaction to Lu Dort celebrating:

"He didn't like the celebration, thought it was a little bit of taunting. But I didn't think it was… it was nothing towards their team, their players, their coaches. It was just us and our fans having a good time" pic.twitter.com/E1sT1lqLkx

— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) January 17, 2025

After the Thunder's 30-2 first-half run against the Cavs, Oklahoma City grabbed a big lead and spent the rest of the game keeping Cleveland at bay. After the win, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault discussed the catalyst of his team's first-half scoring outburst.

"We were stacking stops; we were turning them over. Great activity, and I thought we just handled the point of attack tonight way better," Daigneault said. "We were able to blunt that part of the game, and last week, we were just behind the ball the whole game. And really, they had their way in terms of touching the paint against us and winding up on us in individual defense. That hasn't happened to us very much.

"We just wanted to get that under control and see if we could do that against this team. Once we did, we were able to get them behind the play and use our pressure and aggressiveness, and I thought that was the catalyst. Two points over that stretch is a low number," Daigneault concluded.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's honest take on the Thunder's 30-2 run

The Thunder's 30-2 run set the tone in their lopsided win against the Cavs. Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says his team's focus on both ends of the floor made all the difference.

"Things like that don't happen too often," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We were playing well offensively and defensively, and we just kept stacking possessions; stayed in the moment. You give yourself a chance to go on runs like that when you do the little things and stay in the moment. That's what we did. [We] gave ourselves a chance, and it happened for us tonight."

By winning their rematch, the Thunder tied Kenny Atkinson and the Cavs' 36-6 record for the best NBA record.

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