Tag: Jalen Williams

Player grades: Thunder complete 16-point comeback in 123-110 win over Rockets

Player grades for the Thunder’s 123-110 win over the Rockets.

Stationed in the left corner spot, Chet Holmgren drilled a 3-pointer off a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pass. The bucket capped off a monster second half for OKC. It’s only fitting the seven-foot rookie hit the dagger after a nuclear fourth quarter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 16-point deficit to come away with a 123-110 win over the Houston Rockets. This was their league-leading 16th double-digit comeback of the season.

“We cut into (the deficit) and were able to get it to a safe spot at halftime,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “And then the guys did a great job at coming out of the half, showed great persistence — obviously, Houston shot it well early. But we got really on track physically and I was impressed with the way we did that.”

The early returns of this contest looked eerily similar to the Thunder’s previous visit to Houston this season. It looked like OKC would lay another egg at the Rockets with a poor showing.

The Rockets had a 34-31 advantage following the first quarter. By halftime, Houston’s lead grew to 62-57 which included owning a lead as high as 16 points in the opening two quarters.

The second half featured the Thunder finally exorcising their Houston demons with a dominant defensive performance that slowly chipped away at the scoreboard. A massive fourth-quarter run decisively turned this game in their favor.

The Thunder outscored the Rockets, 30-21, in the third quarter to enter the final frame with an 87-83 lead. OKC went on a commanding 20-7 run in the second half to open up a 14-point lead a little over three minutes into the final frame.

Holmgren was the catalyst of this run as he scored nine straight points for OKC to start the fourth quarter. The Rockets had no answer for the seven-foot center, who turned into a scoring machine.

The closest the Rockets got the rest of the way was within eight points before OKC responded with a 9-0 run to put this one away. The Thunder’s 36-point fourth quarter turned it from a double-digit deficit to a double-digit win for them.

Overall, OKC shot 47% from the field and went 17-of-35 (48.6%) from 3. It went 14-of-15 from the free-throw line. It also dished out 30 assists on 46 baskets.

Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 36 points on 23 shots to lead the Thunder in scoring. Holmgren had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists with 19 points in the fourth quarter. Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Lu Dort had 16 points.

“I thought (he) played with great recognition,” Daigneault said on Holmgren. “We continue to do a better and better job at finding him when he’s open for three and when he’s around the basket.”

Meanwhile, the Rockets shot 41% from the field and went 16-of-41 (39%) from 3. Houston held an advantage at the free-throw line over OKC, going 18-of-23.

Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with a monster 20-point and 17-rebound double-double. Alperen Sengun struggled through foul trouble and was limited to 19 points and 12 rebounds. Fred VanVleet had 20 points.

This was an impressive win for the Thunder, who’ve struggled in Houston recently. This comeback win snapped a five-game losing streak at Toyota Center for OKC. It also has now won 40 games before 20 losses, an impressive mark that’s been used as a barometer for serious contenders.

But considering what they’ve done this season, that’s been evident for quite a while now for the Thunder. A 40-17 record — with the 40th win being a gutted-out outing — is only an additional affirmation of that.

“We had some poise but it was more urgency. I thought tonight was a recognition of if we kept playing like that, they could’ve just run us off the floor,” Daigneault said on their double-digit comeback. “Our urgency ticked up and we go nastier and tougher and more tight and together on the defensive end of the floor.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder clinch crucial tiebreaker with 129-107 win over Clippers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 129-107 win over the Clippers.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Running the break, Jalen Williams received the bounce pass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and jammed it in for the one-handed dunk that sent the energetic crowd into a frenzy. It’s only fitting that these two punctuated a pivotal victory.

The Oklahoma City Thunder collected an important 129-107 win over the LA Clippers in the first game back from the All-Star break. In the win, OKC clinched the tiebreaker over LA.

“We amped (the physicality) up pretty good at the end of the first, end of the second,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “And continued that in the second half. I thought we were really good physically and played a good game.”

The Thunder got off to a 35-33 lead following the first quarter. Entering halftime, OKC held a close 61-59 lead. The opening two quarters lived up to the hype of a heavyweight fight between two of the top teams in the league.

A 35-point third quarter by the Thunder helped them create a 12-point quarter advantage over the Clippers to enter the final frame holding a 96-82 lead with all the momentum.

The Thunder started off the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run to give them a 19-point lead with a little over nine minutes left in the contest. The closest LA would get the rest of the way was within 12 points. Clippers head coach Ty Lue surprisingly pulled the plug with a little under four minutes to go in a 16-point deficit.

OKC’s lead ballooned to a game-high 22 points and the starters eventually left the court with the active crowd — who created a playoff-esque atmosphere with a stellar showing — applauding their efforts.

The Thunder shot 56% from the field and went a sizzling 17-of-35 (48.6%) from 3. All five Thunder starters scored double-digit points with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points leading the way.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points, with 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter. The 22-year-old continues to command fourth quarters for OKC.

Meanwhile, the Clippers shot 45% from the field and 12-of-32 (37.5%) from 3. After starting hot, LA lost its luster as the game progressed. OKC put the defensive clamps down in the decisive third quarter, limiting the Clippers to 23 points.

The Thunder blocked seven shots in the 12-minute frame and limited the Clippers to 31% shooting in the decisive quarter.

“There’s a lot of randomness coming out of the All-Star break, so I thought it was great mental toughness by us,” Daigneault said about the third quarter. “… I thought we did a great job coming out of the break and readying ourselves for competition and diving in.

“I don’t think we saw the best version of them tonight. I wouldn’t read too much into the game outside of a good, mental test for our team that we passed.”

Kawhi Leonard led the way for LA with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Outside of him, the other two Clippers stars struggled as Paul George had 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting and James Harden had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

“We limited mistakes that yielded great shots for them,” Daigneault said. “They’re just too good of a team to give great shots to. I thought we were able to limit that in the second half… We forced a good team to earn what they got tonight.”

As mentioned, this was a massive game for future standings implications. Both the Thunder and Clippers have been neck and neck in the standings and that will likely continue the rest of the way as OKC holds a 1.5-game lead.

If tiebreakers are necessary, the Thunder own it over the Clippers, which could prove pivotal with home-court advantage in the playoffs.

“We have to keep pushing to get better and stretching ourselves and that starts with me,” Daigneault said. “I’m gonna continue to be aggressive about finding what’s best for our team. There’s gonna be failure along the way in doing that but it’s the only way to uncover the best version of your team.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

PHOTOS: Best images from 2024 Rising Stars challenge

2024 Rising Stars: Best photos that feature the three Thunder players.

INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Rose’s squad won the 2024 Rising Stars challenge tournament with a game-winning 3-pointer by Jalen Williams.

Rose’s squad advanced to the finals following a tight 40-35 win over Tamika Catchings’ team in the semifinals. Williams had two points, three assists and three rebounds. Holmgren had five points on 2-of-4 shooting, three rebounds and one assist.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol’s squad suffered a 41-36 loss in the semifinals to Detlef Schrempf’s roster. Cason Wallace contributed with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and one assist.

Rose came out victorious in the finals over Schrempf, 26-13. Williams had five points on 2-of-3 shooting, three assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-2 from 3. Holmgren had two points, two rebounds, one block and one steal.

Let’s look at some of the best photos that feature the three Oklahoma City Thunder players.

Player grades: Jalen Williams hits game-winner in 2024 Rising Stars challenge

Player grades for the 3 Thunder players who participated in the 2024 Rising Stars challenge.

INDIANAPOLIS — Crossing the ball between his legs, Jalen Williams pulled up for the deep 3-pointer to clinch the Rising Stars win for Jalen Rose’s squad.

The game-clinching basket capped off an impressive two-game outing for Williams and Chet Holmgren. All three 2024 Rising Stars challenge matchups featured an Oklahoma City Thunder player.

“We were up a good amount of points to where if I missed, it didn’t matter,” Williams said on his game-winner. “… I fake ran a stack play so they can go under and I can shoot a three. I don’t know if the team knows that’s what I had intended but that’s what I was gonna do.”

Jalen Rose’s squad advanced to the finals following a tight 40-35 win over Tamika Catchings’ team in the semifinals. Williams had two points, three assists and three rebounds. Holmgren had five points on 2-of-4 shooting, three rebounds and one assist.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol’s squad suffered a 41-36 loss in the semifinals to Detlef Schrempf’s roster. It was an upset as Schrempf’s roster was G League players and two-way players. Cason Wallace contributed with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and one assist.

Rose came out victorious in the finals over Schrempf, 26-13. Williams had five points on 2-of-3 shooting, three assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-2 from 3. Holmgren had two points, two rebounds, one block and one steal.

It’s a great opportunity to come out here and kind of just mingle with the guys,” Williams said on the Rising Stars. “It’s a unique platform, you play with people you probably wouldn’t play with. You’re playing in front of teammates you wouldn’t play with. It’s a good time to kind of play free.

“Win or lose, it doesn’t really matter. Shows what guys can do and kind of puts guys on the map as well.”

Holmgren added: “It’s a great opportunity to have fun and also put out a good product for the fans. Throughout the season, you don’t get a chance to talk to a lot of these guys. There were definitely some dudes who I thought, I don’t rock with this dude. He’s kind of weird. He be mean mugging. Then you get in the locker room with them, and they’re super cool.”

Let’s look at the Rising Stars challenge grades for the Thunder’s three players.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

2024 Rising Stars practice: What Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace said

2024 Rising Stars practice: What Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace said.

INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA held their 2024 Rising Stars challenge media availability on Friday.

During the event, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the most representatives among NBA teams with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace.

The trio has been part of an impressive Thunder (37-17) that sits a game back from first place in the Western Conference standings heading into the All-Star break.

Holmgren and Williams are part of the same squad with Jalen Rose while Wallace will be on Pau Gasol’s team. The full explanation and rosters of the four-team single-elimination tournament can be read here.

Here’s a quick recap of what Holmgren, Williams and Wallace had to say as they prepare for the weekend festivities.

2024 Rising Stars: Rosters, broadcast info and how the 4-team tournament works

2024 Rising Stars: Rosters, broadcast info and how the 4-team tournament works.

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 Rising Stars challenge will be held on Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. CT in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on TNT.

The four-team single-elimination tournament features seven-player rosters. Twenty-one players are NBA rookies and second-year players while the remaining seven are G League players and two-way players.

The three NBA rosters were drafted by Paul Gasol, Jalen Rose and Tamika Catchings. The G League roster will be coached by Detlef Schrempf.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had three players represented for the event — the most for any team. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are on the same squad for Rose while Wallace is on Gasol’s squad.

The semifinals will be played to a target score of 40 points. The final will be played to a target score of 25 points. The semifinal matchups are Rose vs. Catchings and Gasol vs. Schrempf.

Injury replacements include Vince Williams Jr., who is taking Dyson Daniel’s spot; Jeremy Sochan, who is taking Shaedon Sharpe’s spot; and Emoni Bates, who is taking Ron Holland’s spot.

Let’s look at all 28 participants and who they’ll play for.

Player grades: SGA, Jalen Williams total 65 points in Thunder’s 127-113 win over Magic

Player grades for the Thunder’s 127-113 win over the Magic.

Walking towards the perimeter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suddenly made a quick turn and created enough space from Paolo Banchero with a mini-stepback to swish in the fading baseline jumper.

The All-Star starter then turned to the crowd and gestured for them to go home. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2024 All-Star break on a high note after collecting a 127-113 win over the Orlando Magic.

“I thought it was a really focused effort, I thought the guys were really locked in,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on the win. “After the start, (it) wasn’t great, other than that, stuck to the gameplan, hung in there through a couple of runs.”

After trailing by as many as 11 points in the opening frame, OKC cut it down to a one-point deficit following the first quarter.

The Thunder scored 29 points in the second frame to enter halftime with a 60-52 lead. OKC’s reserves did an excellent job surviving Gilgeous-Alexander’s first-half struggles.

Then in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander turned it up and led the Thunder to a 32-point frame by accounting for 15 of those points. OKC entered the final frame with a 92-82 lead.

With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, the Thunder went on a massive 19-8 run in the final frame to build a double-digit lead. By the time Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in, OKC held a 16-point lead with a little over six minutes left.

After leading by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, Orlando went on a 14-4 run in the final minutes to cut OKC’s lead to as little as 11 points, but alas, there wasn’t enough time to make a serious push.

Jalen Williams headlined the Thunder’s 35-point final frame. He scored an eye-popping 17 points in 10 minutes with slices to the basket as Orlando struggled to limit him.

Overall, the Thunder shot 55% from the field and went 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3. They went a nearly perfect 22-of-24 from the free-throw line. They dished out 28 assists on 46 baskets.

This was an impressive offensive showing considering the Magic have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league. OKC got plenty of quality looks and looked in rhythm for the entire contest.

The duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams once again led the way for OKC with 65 combined points on 55% shooting — Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and five assists and Williams had 33 points on 18 shots.

Chet Holmgren also contributed with 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

Meanwhile, the Magic shot 45% from the field and went 11-of-36 (30.6%) from 3. They went 20-of-25 from the free-throw line. They had 29 assists on 41 baskets.

Banchero had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 10 assists and six rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. had 22 points and six rebounds. Jalen Suggs scored 17 points and shot 4-of-12 from 3. Franz Wagner was limited to 15 points on 16 shots.

The Thunder enter their week-plus long break with an impressive road win over a hot Magic squad that had won five of their last six contests entering tip.

OKC managed to play spoiler for Shaq’s jersey retirement ceremony and enter the All-Star break a clean 20 games above .500, which is the fifth time it’s happened in franchise history.

“I thought we ran through the finish line with these last two games,” Daigneault said. “That was evident tonight. Now got to take a deep breath, put some gas back in the tank and get ready for the stretch.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Post-trade deadline 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder roster

Post-trade deadline 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

Following the NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder have their roster set for the rest of the way in the 2023-24 season.

After a few transactions, the Thunder are back to having a full 18-player roster — 15 standard players and three two-way players.

The starters will remain the same in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Meanwhile, the bench was improved with the addition of Gordon Hayward. The Thunder also brought in Bismack Biyombo as a veteran center who can provide spark minutes off the bench.

Here’s an updated look at the 2023-24 Thunder roster following the trade deadline:

Player grades: SGA, Jalen Williams tally 70 points in Thunder’s 127-113 win over Kings

Player grades for the Thunder’s 127-113 win over Kings.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Tapping the brakes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sent Keon Ellis sliding for the sidestep 3-pointer. The highlight outside shot capped off a much-needed afternoon for OKC.

The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back with a 127-113 win over the Sacramento Kings. It snapped a two-game losing streak for them and marked their first win over Sacramento since Nov. 2021.

“I thought we were just a lot more edgy today than we were yesterday,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s not about responding to one game, it’s certainly is about us recognizing where our standards are and getting the car back on the road when we’re not up to par.”

After a slow start plagued the Thunder against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, they emphasized getting off to a strong start for the second day of this back-to-back.

The Thunder led 29-27 following the first frame. At halftime, that lead grew to 67-57. A mammoth 22-6 run in the third quarter by OKC saw it enter the final frame leading by 17 points and totaled 100 points in the first three frames.

To start the fourth quarter, the Kings made one last push to make it a single-digit contest. A 20-10 run by Sacramento chopped OKC’s lead to seven points with a little over seven minutes left.

This proved to be the closest the Kings would get the rest of the way as Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams shut the door of a comeback attempt with elite shot-making.

The guard-wing duo combined for 70 points on 61% shooting. Overall, OKC shot 54% from the field and 13-of-27 (48.1%) from 3. They dished out 30 assists on 46 baskets.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points while Williams tallied a nearly 32-point triple-double. Chet Holmgren contributed with 14 points and four blocks. Lu Dort contributed with 17 points and stout defense.

“Those guys are advantage creators,” Daigneault said on Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. “Shai tonight, I thought they got really aggressive with him with double teams, which volunteers an advantage. It allows to get the ball ahead of the defense. I thought we had good attacks off of that for the most part.”

Meanwhile, the Kings shot 49% from the field and went 16-of-42 (38.1%) from 3. They had 32 assists on 44 baskets. Six Kings players scored double-digit points.

Domantas Sabonis led the way with a triple-double of 21 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. Malik Monk scored 26 points and went 6-of-10 from 3. Keegan Murray had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

De’Aaron Fox was limited to 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting and five assists. Kevin Huerter had four points on 2-of-7 shooting.

“Just make it tough for him,” Dort said on limiting Fox. “Especially after a game like yesterday where I feel like I didn’t do my job right.”

This was a nice palate cleanser for the Thunder after their disaster loss to the Mavericks on Saturday. OKC snapped an eight-game losing streak to Sacramento in a contest it controlled for the entire day.

“We came out really good today,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think it set the tone for the rest of the night. We played to our identity from the job.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.