The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals on Sunday night with an emphatic win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Thunder struggled in the first quarter, going down 26-21, but they were near perfect from then until the final buzzer.
OKC scored an incredible 104 points in the final three quarters to completely blow the Nuggets away.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35) and Jalen Williams (24) led the team from a statistical perspective, but Alex Caruso also had an excellent night.
Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty ImagesGeorges Niang couldn’t believe what Alex Caruso did vs Denver Nuggets
Cleveland Cavaliers player Georges Niang had high praise for Caruso’s performance in Game 7 against the Nuggets.
He even suggested that the former Los Angeles Laker “carried” his team despite only putting up 11 points and three assists off the bench.
“OKC went all in on the role players,” Niang explained. “I think, when Alex Caruso got paid, a lot of people were like, ‘He averages five points and three rebounds. How is this possibly happening?’
“Well, you see it here because in the big games, that dude is a f—— gamer, and he carried them yesterday.”
Niang was amazed to see Caruso guard three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic at times, in a showcase of his competitive spirit.
“You think about all the intangibles he brought, and then he was guarding [Nikola] Jokic,” he added. “I was wiping my eyes like, ‘What?”
Chandler Parsons praises Alex Caruso after OKC Thunder’s Game 7 win
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons had plenty to say about Caruso after the Thunder made the Western Conference Finals, too.
He praised general manager Sam Presti for trading away Josh Giddey in exchange for Caruso last offseason.
“I think this is why they made the move. I think Josh Giddey has potential, and he had a great year in Chicago, but Alex Caruso just fits.
“He fits this roster better. You don’t have to give him the ball. He just plays defense. He’s a great dude.
“Imagine being Cason Wallace in that locker room, learning everything from this dude. He takes the weight off SGA, having to guard the best scoring guard on the other team.
“You have Cason Wallace, you have [Aaron] Wiggins, you have [Isaiah] Joe, and Alex Caruso is the best one of all of them.”