{"id":277398,"date":"2025-05-27T05:03:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T05:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/27\/mvp-shai-gilgeous-alexander-cherises-dream-come-true-moment-of-playing-against-his-cousin-nickeil-alexander-walker-in-the-playoffs\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:16","slug":"mvp-shai-gilgeous-alexander-cherises-dream-come-true-moment-of-playing-against-his-cousin-nickeil-alexander-walker-in-the-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/27\/mvp-shai-gilgeous-alexander-cherises-dream-come-true-moment-of-playing-against-his-cousin-nickeil-alexander-walker-in-the-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cherises dream-come-true moment of playing against his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4932710\" data-slug-id=\"2534441\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/shai-gilgeous-alexander\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> and his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker are facing off for the first time in a playoff series as the OKC Thunder leads the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 in the Western Conference finals. The two were close growing up and have also played for Team Canada in international competitions.<\/p>\n<p>After the Thunder\u2019s Game 4 win, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/nickeil-alexander-walker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Alexander-Walker<\/a> broke out for the Timberwolves, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed how proud far they have come as cousins.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAt this stage, going against each other for what it felt like half a game tonight, was super fun. He got the better of me sometimes, and I  got the better of him. Stuff we&#8217;ve dreamt about for our whole lives. It\u2019s crazy that it has come to fruition,\u201d said the Thunder superstar and reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"march-madness-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/march-madness-logo.png\" height=\"42\" width=\"99\" alt=\"march madness logo\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Alexander-Walker topped the scoring for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/minnesota-timberwolves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Timberwolves<\/a> with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. He also made five of his eight three-pointers, four rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the game, while being the primary defender for both Gilgeous-Alexander and co-star Jalen Williams.<\/p>\n<p>However, it was not enough as Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Thunder to the grindout Game 4 win in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>After seeing Alexander-Walker impress on both ends of the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praised his cousin and believed there are more such games in him in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHe was really good tonight. It felt like he barely missed,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander said. \u201cThe kind of night he had tonight, like he is very capable of doing that every night. It&#8217;s just a matter of time before he blows.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The series now shifts to OKC for Game 5 as the Thunder is now one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes feelings known about boos in Minnesota<\/h2>\n<p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received boos from the Timberwolves crowd throughout Game 4. While it did not affect how he played in the game, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed his feelings about being a villain in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s super fun. It\u2019s pretty up there with being at home\u2026 It\u2019s your job to go out there and play basketball and kinda shut them up,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Gilgeous-Alexander shot 13-of-30 from the field, and 12-of-14 from the free throw line to steer the Thunder to a 3-1 lead, despite the constant heckling he received from Timberwolves fans.<\/p>\n<p>With the series moving back to OKC for Game 5, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be celebrated, especially if the Thunder wrap up the West finals series on their home court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/1172708-1684501435-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Rob Andrew Lo&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nRob Andrew Lo is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in the field. Rob studied journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines and his love for sports made this an obvious career to pursue.<\/p>\n<p>Rob&#8217;s favorite team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. He grew up watching Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and his admiration for them left not only a lasting impression but solidified his fandom.<\/p>\n<p>When not working, Rob loves to play basketball. If he isn&#8217;t watching or writing about basketball, he can probably be found watching pro wrestling.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/lo-robandrew-932de\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Dipayan Moitra<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/news-mvp-shai-gilgeous-alexander-cherises-dream-come-true-moment-playing-cousin-nickeil-alexander-walker-playoffs\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker are facing off for the first time in a playoff series as the OKC Thunder leads the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":277399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277398"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}