For the first time in nine years, the Oklahoma City Thunder is heading to the Western Conference finals. NBA MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and top-seeded OKC roared to a 125-93 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 Sunday at Paycom Center.

Aaron Gordon willed himself to play through pain, embodying a gritty playoff run by the Nuggets. But resilience and toughness weren’t enough against the Thunder.

Those points didn’t come because the Thunder were bombing away from 3 — they shot 30.8% on the night — but in the paint, where the Thunder scored 64 points before both coach