With all eyes focused in on a series boasting two 30-point scorers, the NBA’s highest-scoring duo, and two of the Association’s most potent offenses, Aaron Wiggins devoted his most critical moment under the Game One spotlight to showcasing the countless other ways the game could be impacted. Assigned pivotal, fourth-quarter minutes with the Oklahoma City Thunder seeking to maintain a 14-point grip, Wiggins hustles as if his team were trailing, first saving a loose basketball and sending it back to the perimeter. Quick to react after his teammate’s triple gets deflected, Wiggins knocks away P.J. Washington’s rebound opportunity, tapping the ball back out for another attempt. As if destined to be the one to finish the play, Wiggins finds the ball a third time, using a between-the-leg drive to draw the Dallas Mavericks’ attention before rewarding his teammate’s smoothly-timed cut with a dime, setting up a two-handed jam. A star in his role along the Thunder’s second unit, the always-efficient swingman tallied up 16 points — 12 in a second-quarter demonstration — alongside five rebounds, two dimes, one steal, one block, three 3-pointers, and a +18 plus-minus in the Game One win on May 7, 2024. · May 8, 2024