Alexander was stumped, halted bya Houston defense that reaps on creativity and would hate to see a shot fall on its account.  And so, the Thunder’s 111-96 win against the Rockets on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in the NBA Cup semifinals became as much a game of wit as it was brutality.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City-Houston NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just made a short jumper in the lane and, to his delight, a time-out was immediately called. He needed it.

In a matchup between the NBA's two best defenses, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets, 111-96. The Rockets shot 35-for-96 (36.5%) from the field