Tag: isaiah joe

Player grades: Wemby takes over in Thunder’s 132-118 loss to Spurs

Player grades for the Thunder’s 132-118 loss to the Spurs.

As the shot clock expired, Tre Jones let off a last-second 3-pointer that swished in with the buzzer sounding off. The next possession saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup attempt rim out. Victor Wembanyama then jogged back and drilled a deep 3-pointer.

The three-play sequence late in the fourth quarter encapsulated the type of night both teams endured.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s six-game winning streak was snapped in their 132-118 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, who snapped their five-game losing streak.

“I thought they were the aggressor in the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “I thought they did a really good job from the jump of dictating the pace and physicality. Got themselves into a rhythm that was hard to turn off on the defensive end of the floor.”

Both teams started on fire, being tied at 37 points apiece following the first quarter. The Spurs added to their high-point total with a 32-point second frame. OKC entered halftime with a 69-64 deficit.

The Thunder only ate three points off the halftime deficit after a 32-point third quarter. Defense continued to be a problem for both squads as the Spurs entered the final frame with a 98-96 advantage.

To open the fourth quarter, Jalen Williams rattled off the first four points on a pair of baskets to give OKC its first lead since the first quarter. Following that, both teams exchanged punches in the back-and-forth affair.

The Thunder eventually carved out small three-point leads, but the Spurs kept answering on the other end. A 16-5 run — sparked by three 3-pointers — in the final four minutes helped San Antonio run away on the scoreboard for the double-digit result.

The Thunder shot 49% from the field but went an icy 9-of-31 (29%) from 3. A 21-of-22 night from free throws helped make up for that shortcoming. They dished out 20 assists on 40 baskets. OKC had four double-digit scorers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points on 22 shots. Chet Holmgren had 23 points and seven rebounds. Williams scored 26 points on 18 shots.

Outside of those three though, the rest of the Thunder struggled. Isaiah Joe had 15 points and the rest of the team combined for 23 points among the nine other players who played.

Despite the off night from 3, what cost the Thunder this game was on the other end. The Spurs — who have the fourth-worst offensive rating and worst 3-point percentage — had one of their best offensive outings of the season.

The Spurs shot 53% from the field and went a sizzling 19-of-39 (48.7%) from 3. They dished out a season-high 39 assists on 48 baskets. Six Spurs players scored double-digit points.

Wembanyama — the probable Rookie of the Year winner — finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. He shot 5-of-7 from 3.

He is the first player in league history with 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and five 3-pointers in a game. The rookie phenom single-handily closed out the Spurs’ 12th win with a pair of deep 3-pointers and blocking Holmgren’s jumper.

Devin Vassell equaled Wembanyama with 28 points and nine assists. Jeremy Sochan scored an unorthodox 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jones had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Overall, it was a tough loss for OKC — especially considering how tight the top-four standings are in the Western Conference. The upset stings even more considering how heavily favored the Thunder were.

The Thunder never looked sharp on defense and the Spurs failed to cool off from outside. OKC will have a couple of days off to marinate this loss before continuing its stretch run of the season.

“Credit them, I thought we tried to turn it on defensively but they were really, really sharp tonight,” Daigneault said. “They were the better team.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Mark Daigneault provides updates on Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe

Mark Daigneault provides updates on Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe for at least a few games, according to head coach Mark Daigneault.

Before the Thunder’s game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Daigneault said he’d be “pretty surprised” if either Williams (ankle sprain) or Joe (sternum contusion) — who were already ruled out against Denver — return within the next couple of games.

The Thunder would rather have them healthy, but this is a nice three-game stretch at home for OKC to minimize their absences. The Nuggets are without Nikola Jokic and the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors are two of the worst teams in the league.

Both injuries occurred in the second half of the Thunder’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Joe suffered the contusion in the third quarter while Williams sprained his ankle in the final moments of OKC’s loss.

The 22-year-old immediately was in pain and checked out. After looking over his ankle, he quickly hobbled on one leg to the locker room before the final buzzer sounded.

Their absences will be tough to overcome in the short term. Williams is part of OKC’s impressive trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren; Joe is a key player off the bench.

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Player grades: Thunder fail to cool off Paul George in 128-117 loss to Clippers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 128-117 loss to the Clippers.

Stripping the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Paul George accelerated down the court for the impressive reversed one-handed jam. It was only fitting the Los Angeles Clippers’ All-Star forward hit the dagger near the end of his monster fourth quarter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had taken a one-point lead with about three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but the Clippers, led by George, finished the contest on a 14-2 run to earn a 128-117 victory.

“I thought they outplayed us for the majority of the 48 minutes tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “But we did a great job of hanging around the game and making a couple pushes at it to take a lead.”

The Clippers led 35-30 after a high-scoring opening frame. At halftime, LA led 65-61. In the third quarter, the Clippers grew their lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 99-89 lead. An Aaron Wiggins layup concluded a 17-9 run by OKC to open the final frame, making it a two-point contest with a little under seven minutes left.

From that point, both teams exchanged buckets before the aforementioned 14-2 run helped the Clippers create distance on the scoreboard.

After a sluggish showing in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the previous night, the Thunder’s elite offensive production returned to form in their second night at Crypto Arena. OKC shot 51% from the field and went 16-of-34 (47.1%) from 3. From the free-throw line, it shot 17-of-20. It dished 30 assists on 42 baskets.

For a second consecutive night, Jalen Williams led the Thunder in scoring. The second-year wing had 25 points and seven assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to 19 points and Lu Dort had 19 points as well.

“Yeah, he’s cooking right now,” Daigneault said on Williams. “He’s doing a great job at finding a balance between being aggressive and hitting the gas. … He still makes the right passes regardless of the circumstances. He’s found a great balance, really grown as a player to this point.”

Meanwhile, the red-hot Clippers, who have won nine of their last 11, shot 54% from the field and went 20-of-43 (46.5%) from 3. They totaled 30 assists on 47 baskets. LA had five players score double-digit points.

Paul George scored a season-high 38 points on 15-of-24 shooting and went 6-of-12 from 3. He scored 18 points in the final frame to lead LA, including 11 of its final 14 points.

“He’s a good player, he made a lot of tough shots — especially down the stretch, so you kinda just have to tip your hat,” Williams said on George’s hot fourth quarter. “He had one in the wing that Lu contested and it just went in. It’s something he probably works on and made the shot.”

Kawhi Leonard, who missed the first matchup between these teams this season, had 16 points, six assists and six rebounds. James Harden tallied 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Mason Plumlee had 14 points and five rebounds.

Playing on TNT, the Thunder showed out for a national audience. This matchup was advertised as a heavyweight bout between two of the best teams in the league and it lived up to its billing.

“I think that (was) their best punch,” Daigneault said. “They’re almost fully healthy, they had a game plan that was specific to us. That’s how you learn kinda about yourselves. It’s a good barometer of where we are as a team.

“It also teaches us the way other teams see us and where we need to improve. … It’s exciting to know that we’re drawing teams’ best punches out of them.”

The final few minutes exposed OKC’s youth and inexperience, but it was a solid road showing for the Thunder. They’ll need to move on to try to snap a two-game skid.

“Tonight was our fifth (game) in seven nights and yet ran through the finish line of the game,” Daigneault said on their effort. “Gave ourselves a chance against a really good team on the road.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder look lethargic in 112-105 loss to Lakers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 112-105 loss to the Lakers.

Driving to the basket, LeBron James dished it out to his co-star Anthony Davis underneath the dunker spot for the easy jam. The All-Star to All-Star connection sealed this game’s result with 50 seconds left.

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t overcome a poor offensive outing in a 112-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a bad start to an LA back-to-back for OKC.

“Obviously, we didn’t shoot the ball great,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “We didn’t play great. Didn’t generate a great rhythm offensively. Some of that was them, some of that was us. So certainly not our best game but certainly something we can learn from.”

The Thunder and Lakers provided an entertaining and competitive contest. By halftime, it was deadlocked at 50 apiece. Coming out of halftime, OKC built a seven-point lead before it was quickly erased due to a Los Angeles 34-point third frame.

The back-and-forth contest saw 10 ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team led by more than 13 points.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers built an 84-76 lead. The closest the Thunder cut it to was a five-point deficit. Alas, OKC only managed to erase one point from its eight-point deficit entering the final frame when the final buzzer sounded.

It was one of OKC’s worst offensive outings of the season. The Thunder never found a groove as the Lakers did an excellent job making them play uncomfortably. The Thunder shot 42% from the field and went 15-of-49 (30.6%) from 3.

The ball security wasn’t sufficient either for the Thunder, who turned it over 17 times — which led to 27 points for the Lakers. Los Angeles continues to do a superb job at bogging down OKC’s offense.

Los Angeles did a terrific job executing a zone defense that forced low-volume 3-point shooting OKC to take more outside attempts than usual. The 49 attempts were a season-high and a much higher total than its 33-attempt average.

“It’s more about the way we play and whether or not that yields efficient shots,” Daigneault said on the season-high 3-point attempts. “I thought we left something to be desired there tonight on a lot of possessions. If we play the right way and it ends up being a three, we have no problem with that.

“But there were a lot of possessions like I said — it wasn’t about the passing — just our willingness to move the floor and cut and move them around, like we’ve had success against them in the past, I don’t think we did that to a high-enough level tonight.”

The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Both scored 25 and 24 points respectively. Outside of those two, only one other player had double-digit points — Lu Dort with 11.

Meanwhile, the Lakers were led by James and Davis. James had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Davis totaled 27 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. OKC’s lack of size continues to be its biggest weakness and large teams like Los Angeles can exploit that.

Besides those two, Austin Reaves had 15 points and seven assists while D’Angelo Russell had 14 points and six assists.

As mentioned, the Thunder will need to quickly forget about this loss. OKC is set to play the LA Clippers on Tuesday to complete this Los Angeles back-to-back that kicks off a four-game road trip.

“We weren’t as sharp with really anything tonight,” Daigneault said. “We could’ve been better a lot better in every facet.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: SGA, Chet Holmgren lead Thunder to 136-128 win over Wizards

Player grades for the Thunder’s 136-128 win over the Wizards.

It took a little more effort than anticipated, but the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a much-needed win over the Washington Wizards, 136-128.

After going through a two-game skid, the Thunder returned to their winning ways by getting a victory over one of the worst teams in the league. Even though the Wizards have a bottom-three record, they made it tough for OKC throughout the contest.

“We had to run through the finish line for sure,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “We kept building leads and couldn’t get away from them. They made timely plays and timely shots and played all the way through. So obviously, we had to do that too and we did.”

Both teams were offensive juggernauts in this contest as they continued to exchange buckets throughout all four quarters. The Thunder built a 36-30 lead following the first quarter. At halftime, it stayed at a six-point lead following both teams having 31-point second frames.

Coming out of the break, the third quarter featured both teams putting up monster scoring numbers — OKC tallied 36 points and Washington 35 points. Neither team collected stops as the Thunder entered the final frame leading, 102-97.

The final frame saw the Wizards cut it to as little as six points multiple times, but OKC always answered back and kept a healthy distance on the scoreboard.

Overall, the Thunder shot 59% from the field and went 14-of-28 (50%) from 3. OKC collected a season-high 37 assists on 52 baskets. Ball security was a bit of a problem as it had 15 turnovers.

The Thunder were led by a pair of efficient 30-point scorers in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 17 shots while Holmgren had 31 points on 14 shots.

Jalen Williams also contributed with a 21-point and 10-assist double-double. OKC’s bench produced 36 points with a pair of double-digit scorers in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

“I thought we had a really, really good floor game,” Daigneault said on the offensive outing. “Really good blend. Good pace up the floor; good side moving it side-to-side; good job playing it together inside the actions… I thought it was a really, really sound offensive effort.”

The offense keeps humming along, but OKC’s defense continues to show leakage in its current road trip. It’s given up an average of 131 points in its last three contests.

In the Wizards’ case, they shot 49% from the field and went 15-of-32 (46.9%) from 3. They also went 25-of-29 from the free-throw line. Washington dished out 32 assists on 44 baskets.

“They hit some tough ones down the stretch too,” Williams said on the Wizards’ offense. “You just gotta tip your hat to those. Think we got some crucial stops, a couple in a row, and then we were kinda able to stretch the lead.”

The Wizards had six players score double-digit points. Kyle Kuzma had 22 points and 15 rebounds; Jordan Poole had 24 points and five assists; Tyus Jones collected 18 points and nine assists.

“I thought tonight’s game was a lot different than the last two, to be honest with you,” Daigneault said on their recent defensive performances. “I thought our intensity and how hard we played tonight was much, much better.

“There were times in those other two games where we gave up a lot of unearned stuff and I didn’t think much tonight was unearned. There were certainly possessions but we made them earn it.”

By the end of the night, the Thunder never truly created a lopsided score as their largest lead was 13 points, but they also never surrendered the lead following the opening minutes.

It was a necessary win, but defensive concerns continue to exist for OKC during this recent stretch. The Thunder managed to get away with it against the Wizards, but this will need to get cleaned up once the quality of the opponent improves.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Musselman praises former Hogs now making waves in the NBA

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman praises the efforts of former Hogs he coached here now in the NBA.

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman did a little double-duty in Oklahoma last weekend. Not only did he coach the Razorbacks on Saturday, but he was able to travel south to visit with some former players Friday night.

After Friday’s team practice in Tulsa, Musselman drove the hour and a half down Interstate 44 to Oklahoma City, where he got to watch a trio of former Hogs compete in an NBA game.

Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe were on the court for the Thunder, who faced Moses Moody and the Golden State Warriors.

He got to spend time with all three players prior to the game, in which Oklahoma City won 138-136 in overtime.

“The timing worked out perfectly,” Musselman said. “I rushed over there and got to see all three of our guys — Moses, Jaylen and Isaiah  — and got to talk to them pregame.”

He praised both franchises for specifically allotting the players time to spend with their former coach.

“To show you how professional those two organizations are, all three of those guys had their shooting slots at 5 o’clock, and that probably wasn’t by coincidence,” he said. “Just unbelievable classy organizations.”

Williams actually returned the favor by driving up the following day to watch the Razorbacks play Oklahoma, a game in which they lost, 79-70.

“It was great to see those guys, and just so proud, like all of us are, of all three of them,” Musselman said. “The thing with those guys is that they are the ultimate pros. They are going to be on rosters, because of their attitude and how good they are, chemistry-wise.”

Joe, in his fourth NBA season, is averaging 10 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the three-point line, making 56 of 127 threes on the season. Williams, in his second NBA season, is averaging 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and currently leads the NBA in charges taken per 36 minutes played.

Moody, a third-year pro, is averaging 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, playing in a loaded lineup that includes the likes of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Musselman is proud of how all three players have made their way to the professional ranks, but also with how they have handled themselves, professionally. He said all three are finding their niche for long, prosperous careers in the league.

“Oklahoma City has their stars, but Isaiah has figured out how to get open, and how to be one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA,” Musselman said. “But he has also figured out, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be a great locker room guy.’ ‘I’ve got to be a no-maintenance guy, that shows up on time and gets my reps up.”

“Jaylin Williams has figured out, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be a great ball mover, I’ve got to plug up holes, defensively, and I’ve got to have high energy.”

Musselman acknowledged that Moody’s situation is a bit different with the caliber of team he is on.

“Moses is in a situation where he will go games without playing, then all of a sudden he gets in the game and produces when he gets his minutes,” Musselman said. “He’s in a different situation, because he got drafted on a team that is playing for championships.

“But those three guys are going to have long careers. And taking nothing away from their talent, but they are also great people, and are great professionals. They really understand that it’s a lot more than just making a basket. It’s doing the little things on defense, it’s being a great teammate, it’s standing up and cheering for your team when you are not on the floor. All those things help your longevity in your pro career.”

The coach also praised four more former Hogs who are now making their way in the professional ranks.

Ricky Council IV and Jordan Walsh are both rookies, who are scorching it in the G-League. Council, who is with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats, is fifth in the G-League in scoring, averaging 24.7 points per game. Walsh, who has bounced between the Boston Celtics and their G-League team, is averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Maine Celtics.

“It’s really cool that Anthony Black is starting, and getting a lot of minutes for the Magic in Orlando,” Musselman said. “Then you’ve got two guys in their rookie year in the G-League, both playing great basketball. They are putting up numbers, they’re getting better and getting a lot of reps. And that’s important for a rookie, is to get the reps.”

He also alluded to the progress that another former Razorback, Stanley Umude, is having in the Detroit Pistons organization. Umude has also split time between the Pistons and their G-League team, the Motor City Cruise. His break-out NBA performance came on Nov. 20, when he tallied 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in a 142-113 loss to the Raptors.

“Stan has been putting up great numbers with the Pistons,” Musselman said. “But then he got sent down to the G-League where he is putting up great numbers. So he is getting great reps when he is not getting run with the Pistons.”

Nov 25, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton (8) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) and forward Jaylin Williams (6) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Recap: OKC Thunder’s Friday practice (Dec. 1)

Here’s a quick recap of the Thunder’s Friday practice:

The Oklahoma City Thunder held practice on Friday a day after their big win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

OKC — who sits at 12-6 and in third place of the Western Conference standings — now prepares for its Saturday road game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Following practice, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and guard Isaiah Joe spoke with the media. Daigneault talked about his rotation decisions and Joe talked about Arkansas’ recent big win over Duke.

Daigneault also talked about Jalen Williams’ comments on the rest of the league finally respecting the Thunder after spending years being one of the worst teams in the league.

Here’s a quick recap of how the Thunder’s practice went:

Player grades: Thunder’s six-game winning streak snapped in 127-123 loss to Sixers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 127-123 loss to the Sixers:

OKLAHOMA CITY — Needing to sink in six free throws to keep a multi-possession distance on the scoreboard, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was ice cold as he switched in every attempt to fend off any hopes of an OKC comeback.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s comeback attempt went in vain in their 127-123 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The defeat snaps a six-game winning streak for the Thunder.

“Wasn’t our best game in the floor game but I thought we gave ourselves a chance to put a little game pressure on them,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “They made a couple of timely shots. I thought they handled the pressure pretty well.

“They made free throws so credit them how they closed it. I thought we pushed some of the right buttons out there on the court to give ourselves every chance to try to win.”

After playing it close for most of the first half, the Thunder entered halftime with a 65-61 deficit against the Sixers. In the third quarter, Philly added to its lead with an 18-5 run and entered the final frame with an 11-point lead.

“They delivered, they made some plays, they made some shots,” Daigneault said on the Sixers’ third-quarter run. “I thought we had a couple of self-inflicted mistakes.”

A 41-point fourth quarter helped OKC cut it to as little as two points thanks to a Holmgren pull-up 3-pointer, but with just five seconds left, there simply wasn’t enough time to build off of that.

The Thunder tried to extend the game by immediately fouling, but the Sixers kept knocking down their late free throws to keep distance on the scoreboard.

Overall, OKC shot 44% from the field and went 16-of-43 (37.2%) from 3. It enjoyed a frequent whistle as well. The Thunder shot 21-of-26 (80.8%) from the free-throw line. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 10 attempts.

The duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren led the Thunder as each scored 30-plus points respectively and combined for 64 points on 55% shooting.

The Sixers shot 46% from the field and went 14-of-41 (34.1%) from 3. Philly made a living to get to the line in its win. It went a ridiculous 37-of-45 (82.2%) from the line — which featured Embiid taking a game-high 21 attempts and Tyrese Maxey attempting 11 free throws.

Going punch-for-punch with OKC’s guard-big duo, Embiid and Maxey combined for 63 points on 44% shooting in their win.

Embiid had 35 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks. He also went a comical 19-of-21 from the free-throw line. Maxey had 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting and went 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.

The rest of the Sixers starting lineup scored double-digit points — Tobias Harris had 16 points, Nicolas Batum had 14 points and De’Anthony Melton had 14 points.

As mentioned earlier, the duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren headlined OKC’s loss. Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Holmgren had 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting and six rebounds.

Outside of those two though, it was bare. The other three OKC starters combined for 15 points. The Thunder definitely felt Jalen Williams’ absence as he missed his third consecutive game with a hip strain.

Playing against one of the best teams in the league equipped with the MVP, the Thunder did a nice job at making it a competitive contest despite missing their third-best player.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder extends win streak to six with 116-102 win over Bulls

Player grades for the Thunder’s 116-102 win over the Bulls:

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fouled on a 3-pointer, Isaiah Joe completed the 4-point play to push OKC’s lead to 11 points with under two minutes left.

The Oklahoma City Thunder scared off any threat of a potential 18-point blown lead with a 116-102 win over the Chicago Bulls. The win extends OKC’s winning streak to six games, the longest active streak in the league.

“We got gritty in the last 15 minutes of the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “We kinda opened up a little bit of a lead again after they came back and tied it and then we clamped down pretty good. I thought our focus was good. Everything they got was earned at that point for the most part.”

The Thunder built a 26-14 lead following the first quarter. By halftime, OKC had a 50-39 lead. A slow second-half opening by OKC allowed the Bulls to tie it at 67 apiece. After that, the Thunder managed to quickly rebuild their lead and entered the final frame leading 77-84.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulls teased a comeback but couldn’t get closer than three points. Following Joe’s 4-point play, it extinguished any chance of a Bulls upset win.

Overall, the Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 11-of-29 (37.9%) from 3. OKC also got a friendly whistle as it went 31-of-38 (81.6%) from the free-throw line. This marked a season-high in attempts.

“I thought the way the game got called tonight was a lot closer (to) the way we expected it coming into the season,” Daigneault said on OKC’s season-high 38 free-throw attempts. “The way it was called last year. I thought the contact tonight was no different than the contact we faced earlier in the season.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder as he scored a game-high 40 points and went a season-high 17-of-18 from the free-throw line. Chet Holmgren contributed with 18 points and 13 rebounds for the double-double.

On the opposite side, the Bulls struggled without Zach LaVine — who missed the game after some initial confusion about his availability. Chicago shot 39% from the field. A hot outside shooting night kept it in it as it went 17-of-44 (38.6%) from deep.

Coby White headlined the Bulls’ hot 3-point shooting night as he scored 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from 3. DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 25 points and went a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. Nikola Vucevic collected a 16-point and 12-rebound double-double.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but the Thunder scrapped out a quality home victory against a Bulls team on the verge of blowing up. OKC now improved its record to an impressive 11-4 on the young season, good enough for second place thus far in the Western Conference.

“Collectively, we didn’t shoot it as well as we have,” Daigneault said.  “We needed to win a different way tonight and to the credit of the guys, we found a way to do that.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder avoid trap game with 134-91 blowout win over Trail Blazers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 134-91 win over the Trail Blazers:

Playing on the second night of a road back-to-back, the Oklahoma City Thunder avoided falling for a textbook trap game in their 134-91 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

After picking up a season-defining win against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, the Thunder avoided any potential hangover by taking care of business against a short-handed Trail Blazers.

“I just thought we played to our identity regardless of the circumstance and regardless of who was on the floor,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Which is a testament to the guys and then also the guys who’ve kept themselves sharp that haven’t gotten as many minutes.”

The Thunder had a hot start as they led, 33-21, after one quarter. That lead ballooned to 76-43 thanks to a 43-point second quarter. OKC’s scoring efficiency in the first half reached historic levels. Its 88.5 true-shooting percentage marked the best shooting first half in the league since 2020.

“It felt good,” Lu Dort said on the first half. “It’s just the trust that we have in this team and how we moving the ball and we’re so comfortable playing together.”

Any faint hopes of a miraculous comeback by Portland were quickly squashed by OKC with a 25-point third quarter that actually extended its lead to 35 points entering the final frame.

“I thought we showed great maturity, great discipline to the zero-to-zero mindset,” Daigneault said on OKC’s fast start. “I thought our execution to the game plan early really set the tone to the game.”

Overall, the Thunder shot 61% from the field. OKC also had a season-high 22-of-36 (61.1%) night from 3. It also went 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.

The historic offense production marked the first time a team finished with a 60-60-100 shooting night for a game in the last 25 years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an easy 28 points on 13 shots. Chet Holmgren continues to build on his best game yet with 16 points and six rebounds.

Considering this was the third road game in four nights, OKC elected to lengthen its usual rotation by playing all 15 available players. This included 11 players in the first quarter.

The Trail Blazers being one of the worst teams in the league increased OKC’s margin of error and allowed Daigneault to experiment a bit and play the end-of-bench guys early minutes.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers are playing for lottery balls. Portland’s lengthy injury report confirmed that as No. 3 picked rookie Scoot Henderson headlined the abnormal number of absences.

Portland shot 40% from the field and went 9-of-34 (26.5%) from 3. It also committed 17 turnovers that resulted in 29 points for the Thunder.

The Trail Blazers were led by Jerami Grant, who finished with 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Deandre Ayton had 11 points and five rebounds. Shaedon Sharpe was held to seven points on 3-of-8 shooting

Outside of enjoying the obvious blowout win, OKC not sleeping on the Trail Blazers afforded it the luxury to rest their starters for 1.5 quarters in the second half. That was a huge gift considering this was the third road game in four nights.

“We just got to keep it rolling,” Dort said on OKC’s 10-4 start. “It’s a long season. We have a lot of games left. We can’t get comfortable. We got to get more.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.