The Oklahoma City Thunder are at home on Monday night as they are facing off against the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Oklahoma City had a great start to the game as they took a 10-point lead into halftime behind an incredible first half from their star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Denver was then able to cut into the lead during the third quarter before the Thunder opened the game back up to begin the fourth quarter.
Despite this, the Nuggets have been able to keep the game within reach behind another impressive performance from Nikola Jokic, who currently has 31 points, 20 rebounds and six assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Alex Caruso (9)
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
While the game has yet to be decided, one player who has stepped up for the Thunder is Alex Caruso.
Caruso currently has 20 points to go along with five assists, five steals and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench.
Head coach Mark Daigneault even elected to start Caruso entering the second half as he replaced Isaiah Hartenstein the starting lineup.
With his performance thus far, Caruso has made NBA playoff history while also coming up big down the stretch on both ends of the court for the Thunder.
In Monday’s game, Caruso became the first player in NBA playoff history to record two or more blocks, three or more steals and knock down five or more three-pointers in a playoff game.
This is an incredible performance out of Caruso and one that Oklahoma City knew he could put together when they decided to trade Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for him in the offseason.
Alex Caruso (9) dives for a loose ball in front of San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (0)
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Of course, Caruso has not been asked to do too much for the Thunder this season with the amount of depth that they have but this is a great sign for the franchise as he has taken over Game 1.
Caruso and the Thunder will now look to complete the Game 1 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
