Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected his second MVP trophy, but his struggles were visible with just 30% FG shooting. As the Oklahoma City Thunder star found his groove late, Victor Wembanyama put on a clinic from the start with his historic 41 points and 24 rebounds. After the game, SGA still looked calm and composed, with his eyes already set on Wednesday night.

OKC scored 14 points less in the paint due to the presence of 7-foot-4 Wemby. SGA had a forgettable game, scoring 24 points with 7-23 shooting. “Yeah, you just got to be aggressive,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “Also, just be smart, I think more than anything. He is obviously is very big at the rim, but we still found cracks in it at times. We just got to be be willing to work possessions and make sure we get the best shot each time down and just be patient with that.” SGA admitted to his flaws tonight and even said there is a plan to attack the current unanimous DPOY.

But for now, he will keep the plans private. “I probably wouldn’t want to say in public just because I don’t want to give any answers away. But yeah, it’s obviously challenging. Very tall, very long, deters a lot of things at the rim. Like I said before, you got to be smart when you go in there. Be patient, but also be aggressive and don’t be too timid in there. I think you get caught worrying about it too much, and you lose aggression. And that’s where they really stranglehold on the game. You got to be able to be aggressive, but also be smart.”

Not just SGA, but even Chet Holmgren struggled in the double-overtime thriller on Monday night at Paycom Center. The Thunder big scored just 8 points and was limited to 2-7, a low 29% from the field against the San Antonio Spurs. It was Alex Caruso who stepped from the bench, dropping 31 points with 8 three-pointers.

While the veteran guard dominated, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 4 points in the first half. His layups wouldn’t go in, and he conceded four turnovers, and the broadcasters captured his frustration against Victor Wembanyama.

With under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Spurs had a seven-point lead, and SGA missed a clean baseline jumper.

Wemby grabbed the rebound and even held the ball tightly, while the two-time MVP, in frustration, attempted to steal the ball back but conceded a foul. To make matters worse, Victor Wembanyama kept smiling at him, adding insult to the injury.

Did Victor Wembanyama take it personally after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the MVP trophy?

SGA became the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVPs. In front of the home crowd, he lifted the trophy for the second time, with a whopping 83 first-place votes. It fueled a fire inside his rival as Wemby finished third in the MVP rankings with just five first-place votes. The Spurs star admitted that SGA’s MVP win made it personal for him.

“Yeah, for sure,” he told the reporters. “I still got a lot to learn and I want to get that trophy, you know, many times in my career.”

Wemby joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever post 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a Conference Finals debut.

The Frenchman is also the youngest player to post such a stat line at 22 years, 134 days old, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar, who was 22 years, 352 days old when he recorded 46 points and 25 rebounds on April 3, 1970. But as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stated, he found his rhythm against the French phenom.

SGA, after the final 5:26 of regulation, scored 10 points and fed Caruso for a 3 and a layup, fueling a Thunder comeback. He ended the final quarter with 12 points in 12 minutes. But his overtime display was again poor from his MVP standards. Just 2 points on 1-4 attempts is why Gilgeous-Alexander knows he has to be better.