Stop me if you have heard this before: the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to keep another game competitive despite trailing by double digits early on the game. This appears to be the script for most Thunder games this season. The talent might not be there just yet, but the professionalism and effort are definitely there as a group of young players plays like a group of veterans.
In this edition, the Timberwolves led by as much as 21 points, things looked especially bleak after the first quarter as the Thunder trailed 30-10. In fact, it was so bad that at one point, the Thunder had more turnovers (12) than made shots (10). But just like it’s been the case all season long, the Thunder were able to overcome a large deficit and make the opposition sweat this out.
This time around, the valiant effort was led by reigning Rookie of the Month winner Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giddey was particularly fantastic this game with his passes and playmaking abilities while Gilgeous-Alexander did a nice job at scoring and distributing the ball. Let’s take a look at player grades.