Tag: Lu Dort

Lu Dort reveals details of defensive-themed Thunder group chat

Lu Dort reveals details of defensive-themed Thunder group chat.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a tight-knit group. The young roster has allowed several players to relate to each other as they all have similar experiences in the league.

That bond doesn’t just stop beyond the court. It also translates digitally. As the Thunder prepare for Game 3 with a chance to go up 3-0 over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lu Dort revealed several of his teammates share a defensive-themed group chat.

Dort said the group chat’s purpose is to send footage of defensive plays to help improve each other on that end of the floor. It’s helped as the Thunder finished with the fourth-best defensive rating in the league this season.

“It’s kinda some new stuff every day. We watch a lot of clips,” Dort said. “Whenever we got something new to talk about, we’ll be there talking about it.”

He also listed the members of the five-person chat: himself, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Keyontae Johnson and assistant coach David Akinyooye.

This is an interesting peek behind the curtains of the Thunder’s relationship dynamics. Dort is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and has done a wonderful job of limiting Brandon Ingram through two games of the first-round series.

The fact they share a group chat shows this group’s togetherness. Sharing information and being a knowledge sponge can only result in positives in both an individual and group level.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Player grades: Thunder struggle against Lakers again in 116-104 loss

Player grades for the Thunder’s 116-104 loss to the Lakers.

Pulling up from deep, D’Angelo Russell swished a 3-pointer to give host Los Angeles an insurmountable 24-point lead with nine minutes left on Monday night. It was the third straight 3-pointer for Russell in one minute.

The outside shot invoked a loud celebration by the crowd as OKC was forced to call a timeout. It also served as the dagger in a tough road loss for the Thunder.

With the 116-104 loss to the Lakers, OKC lost the last three contests in the teams’ four-game season series.

“The start was good offensively but our overall sharpness just was there, even during that stretch,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “I thought we tried to drum that up a couple of different times but weren’t obviously able to do it offensively. … Certainly not our fastball tonight.”

With a hot start, the Thunder built a 12-point lead over the Lakers. After that stretch though, they never looked comfortable the rest of the way.

The Lakers scored 11 straight points and exited the first quarter tied at 25. The Thunder couldn’t recover. OKC was outscored, 27-18, by Los Angeles in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 52-43.

The halftime break didn’t help. The Thunder were outscored, 37-29, by the Lakers the third quarter. This included a 23-8 run by Los Angeles that pushed its lead to double-digit points.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with an 89-72 lead. Any hopes of an OKC comeback were quickly dashed when Los Angeles went on an 11-2 run in the opening three minutes to push its lead to a game-high 25 points.

“They caught some confidence and caught a rhythm in the second half and we had a hard time turning them off,” Daigneault said. “Some of those shots were really, really tough but there were some controllable stuff prior to that I wish we took care of.”

Playing on the second night of a road back-to-back, the Thunder looked exhausted and signs of fatigue grew as the game unraveled. Overall, they shot an ugly 39% from the field and went 15-of-39 (38.5%) from 3.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his worst games of the season with 20 points on 13 shots. Jalen Williams was limited to seven points. Chet Holmgren had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the inconsistent Lakers look their best each time they match up against OKC. That was the case again in their final matchup of the regular season. They shot 51% from the field and went 16-of-34 (47.1%) from 3.

The Lakers also had distinct advantages with 48 points inside the paint and a 18-of-25 night from the free-throw line. For comparison, the Thunder had 36 points in the paint and just 16 free-throw attempts.

Anthony Davis dominated with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. LeBron James recovered from a slow start and tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

“He’s a load, he’s obviously a very good player,” Daigneault said on Davis. “For us to neutralize him or do a good job on him, we got to have high, high energy and intensity and I didn’t think we had that tonight.”

The Lakers’ role players also enjoyed hot nights. Austin Reaves had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Russell scored 26 points and shot 5-of-11 from 3. Taurean Prince totaled 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3 off the bench.

It seems the Lakers have the Thunder’s number — at least in the regular season. They never looked comfortable throughout most of the night. OKC has looked uncharacteristically lethargic in three of its four matchups with them this season.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

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.

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.

Player grades: Thunder complete 23-point comeback in 135-127 2OT win over Raptors

Player grades for the Thunder’s 135-127 2OT win over the Raptors.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Catching the ball, Aaron Wiggins drained in a corner 3-pointer to give OKC a seven-point lead with less than two minutes left. The 3-point shot served as the dagger after 58 minutes of intense basketball.

The Oklahoma City Thunder completed the 23-point comeback in their 135-127 double-overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. The Thunder have now won three in a row.

“That was a great game for us,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Credit them, their game plan, they made us uncomfortable in the first half. You never know how a team’s going to play you, so it took us obviously a little bit to calibrate that.

It looked ugly early on for the Thunder. After the first quarter, OKC trailed Toronto, 33-23. A 30-point second frame made the issue worse as the Raptors entered halftime with a 63-47 lead.

“The way they started the game, I thought they were just on the gas,” Daigneault said. “They played with way more force than we did on both ends of the floor and had us on our heels for much of the first half.”

The beginning of the second half was much of the same issues for the Thunder as the Raptors quickly built a 23-point lead. It didn’t take until around halfway through the third frame before OKC began its climb back up.

A 34-point third quarter saw the Thunder enter the final frame shaving their deficit to 87-81. OKC eventually erased its deficit less than four minutes into the quarter and tied it up at 91 apiece.

From that point on in the final frame, neither team led by more than three points. Trailing by two with 27 seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his patent mid-range jumper but the ball ricocheted near the sidelines, where a diving RJ Barrett landed on the ball out of bounds.

This gave the Thunder another golden chance to tie it in the final seconds and Josh Giddey found a cutting Aaron Wiggins for the game-tying layup on the inbound pass with four seconds left.

In the first overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander redeemed himself with a game-tying stepback 3-pointer to tie it up at 118 apiece. He blocked Gary Trent Jr.’s attempt at a game-winner and forced a rare second overtime.

In the second OT, the 3-pointers started falling for OKC. It hit three 3-pointers to start the second five-minute period capped off by Wiggins’ aforementioned 3-pointer.

Giddey completed an impressive and-one and Gilgeous-Alexander soared for the dunk to hit the exclamation marks of the Thunder’s comeback win.

It was a historic offensive outing for the Thunder. They shot 47% from the field and went 23-of-63 (36.5%) from 3 — the 23 made outside shots tied a franchise record. OKC needed the hot night from 3 as it only went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

The Thunder had five players score 20-plus points. This was only the third time in franchise history they’ve reached this mark.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a near triple-double of 23 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. Chet Holmgren contributed with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists.

After a rough start, a pair of Thunder starters played key roles in OKC’s second-half comeback — Giddey had one of his best outings yet with 24 points, six assists and six rebounds. Lu Dort had 22 points and seven rebounds.

Off the bench, Aaron Wiggins saw his role increase as the game progressed and totaled 20 points. His contributions were more valuable once OKC lost starter Cason Wallace to a shoulder injury in the second half.

“It was a gutsy win for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “What we brought in the second half was needed.”

Meanwhile, the Raptors shot 48% from the field and went 14-of-35 (40%) from 3. They went 17-of-21 from the free-throw line. Six players scored double-digit points.

Barrett — who was questionable with knee swelling — led Toronto with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and seven rebounds. Scottie Barnes totaled 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Jakob Poeltl had a 19-point and 12-rebound double-double.

Immanuel Quickley had 17 points and 11 assists while Dennis Schroder had 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Raptors.

The Thunder survived their lengthiest game of the season with a thrilling win against the struggling Raptors. Overcoming a 23-point deficit is nothing to sneeze at and OKC’s resilience to come out of halftime and have a strong finish is one of the major qualities why they’re off to their best start following 50 games in nearly a decade.

“The chemistry of the team is real,” Daigneault said. “As the game gets harder, they tend to connect more and problem-solve together and I thought tonight was a great example of that.

“The game was not going our way on either end. Easy to pack it in, point fingers, try to do it ourselves. We did quite the opposite coming out of halftime.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: SGA leads Thunder past Timberwolves in 102-97 win

Player grades for the Thunder’s 102-97 win over the Timberwolves.

Hoping for a prayer, Anthony Edwards tricked Lu Dort into fouling him on a deep 3-pointer. The All-Star had the improbable chance of forcing overtime in the final seconds.

Instead, the 85% free-throw shooter dramatically missed the first two attempts before failing to intentionally hit the rim on his third miss in the hopes of gaining an extra possession.

The Oklahoma City Thunder scrapped out an impressive road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 102-97. The matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference standings lived up to its billing.

“We just had great resilience tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “It’s one thing to defend like that but it’s another when you’re shooting the ball so poorly. We had a really hard time cracking them, they played great defense in the second half…

“I thought our ability to defend despite an imperfect night showed great mental toughness by our team.”

The Thunder got off to a hot start, rattling off the first nine points less than two minutes into the contest. OKC eventually built a 21-5 advantage before the Timberwolves closed out the period on a strong note as the Thunder led, 30-24, after the first quarter.

By halftime, the Thunder’s lead dwindled to 57-54. Minnesota limited OKC to 17 points in the third frame to enter the fourth quarter with an 83-75 advantage.

Six minutes into the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves had successfully forced OKC’s offense to gunk out. The Thunder only scored five points in the opening six minutes, coming off the heels of a 17-point third frame.

“We were like in mud in the middle of the first half,” Daigneault said. “We started and finished the half pretty well. (The) third quarter was similar. They tightened things up on you and it got hard for us. They really force you into tough shots and they’re a great defense.”

After that, the Thunder finished the game on a 23-9 run in the final six minutes. OKC turned the tables and held Minnesota to 14 fourth-quarter points on 3-of-13 shooting. Seldomly scoring, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over in the final stretch to lead OKC to the win.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. Throughout the final five minutes, the All-NBA guard hit several timely shots.

With under four minutes left, Gilgeous-Alexander scored four consecutive points to tie it up at 90 apiece with 3:20 left. He proceeded to hit another clutch jumper to tie it again with a little over two minutes left.

Trailing by a point, he hit a tough stepback 3-pointer for the go-ahead bucket with 1:14 left. From that point forward, the Thunder never relinquished the lead. Edwards’ three missed free throws essentially sealed the result.

“I finally felt like I was in a rhythm tonight, offensively, that last quarter,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his stepback 3-pointer. “… I just felt McDaniels sagging off. I was in rhythm, comfortable, shot I shot many times. So I just felt it, tried not to overthink it and shot the ball with confidence.”

Dort added on the basket: “We need a bucket. We need a score. I think that’s it. He’s been in this position so many times now. I’m not surprised when he takes those types of shots… We all have trust in him to take those types of shots for him and he knocked it down.”

Against the best defensive-rated team, the Thunder shot below 40% from the field and went 8-of-24 (33.3%) from 3. After a hot start, Minnesota bogged down OKC’s offense and turned it into a low-scoring affair.

With shots not falling, the Thunder turned their focus to getting to the free-throw line, which they successfully did with a 30-of-35 night. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 13 attempts.

The Thunder also weaponized the open court, forcing 21 turnovers on the turnover-prone Timberwolves. This led to 28 points for OKC.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 41% from the field and went 14-of-37 (37.8%) from 3. Minnesota also were frequent visitors at the charity stripe, going 21-of-29. The Timberwolves also had a massive advantage on the boards, outrebounding OKC, 50-37.

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Edwards was limited to 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. He shot 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. Rudy Gobert had seven points and 18 rebounds.

Jaden McDaniels contributed with 15 points and Naz Reid scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3.

“I just thought we just showed great toughness tonight,” Daigneault said. “It was mind over matter… Great win for us.”

Chaotically, the Thunder concluded their four-game road trip on a high note. OKC handed Minnesota its second home loss of the season and climbed a game closer in the standings.

“We can really compete against anybody,” Dort said on OKC’s four-game road trip. “We went on the road and some tough places to play… It was all close games. We can compete against a lot of teams, so it gives us confidence.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

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 extends winning streak to four with 124-108 win over Nets

Player grades for the Thunder’s 124-108 win over the Nets.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Missing a ferocious dunk, Lu Dort sent the crowd into a different frenzy with a second-chance 3-pointer to hit the exclamation mark in OKC’s double-digit win.

On New Year’s Eve, the Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 124-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The win extends OKC’s winning streak to four games.

“I thought there were a couple of moments where we — I wouldn’t call it sticky — but I just thought we didn’t make the early play in transition,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we had a lot of opportunities tonight to do that. But when we did, we got really, really good stuff.

“The game was fun when we did that. We did it enough obviously to have a really good offensive night but definitely had to course-correct a couple of things during the course of the game.”

After quickly trailing the Nets 8-0 in the opening minutes, the Thunder ended the first quarter by closing the gap and only trailing by three points. A 26-point second quarter helped OKC enter halftime with a 59-56 lead.

Coming out of the break, the Thunder continued to throw their best punch in the third quarter with a 30-point period that saw OKC enter the final frame with a double-digit lead.

The fourth quarter was much of the same story as OKC grew its lead to as high as 21 points before Brooklyn eventually waved the white flag in the later portions of the final frame.

It was another excellent offensive outing for the Thunder. They shot 54% from the field and went 18-of-33 (54.5%) from 3. They also dished out 31 assists on their 45 buckets.

“A lot of it is just creating advantages,” Daigneault said on their ball movement. “It’s hard to move the ball if you can’t move an advantage… Our guys have done a great job at working together to get those.”

All five Thunder starters scored 17-plus points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points and Josh Giddey had 20 points. Chet Holmgren collected an 18-point double-double.

Meanwhile, the Nets — who’ve lost eight of their last 10 games — shot a lowly 38% from the field and went an even worse 12-of-46 (26.1%) from 3. The jump-shooting-happy team shot 46 of their 100 attempts from outside.

“We were a little flat early and then amped it up pretty good,” Daigneault said on their defense. “A lot of switching. We downsized and were able to switch them and it stopped their drive and kick.”

Despite a significant advantage in volume, Brooklyn only went 20-of-31 (64.5%) from the free-throw line. OKC was 16-of-20 (80%) from the charity stripe.

The duo of Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas led the Nets as their sole 20-point scores. Bridges had 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting and Thomas had 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting.

The duo got off to a hot start, combining for 25 points in the first quarter. After that though, OKC did an excellent job at limiting both scorers the rest of the way with 17 total points.

As mentioned, this win also marks OKC’s 16th consecutive New Year’s Eve home game. The Thunder continues to add chapters to its Dec. 31 contests.

It was a mundane win outside of an early scare, but the Thunder continue to take care of business against the bottom of the barrel in the league. Wins continue to pile up for OKC as it enters the 2024 calendar year with a 22-9 record.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder stamps statement with 129-106 win over Timberwolves

Player grades for the Thunder’s 129-106 win over the Timberwolves.

OKLAHOMA CITY — While dribbling, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander penetrated the paint and sent Rudy Gobert, the defensive player of the year favorite, flying on a pump fake for an easy underhand layup.

It was that type of night for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their 129-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The statement win saw OKC shoot 61% from the field against the best defensive-rated team in the league.

“I thought tonight we were able to kinda dictate the pace of the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Our intensity, our activity defensively is what allowed us to do that and allowed us to play that way.”

Playing small and with speed, the Thunder forced the large Timberwolves to play an uncomfortable brand of basketball that led to their demise. Minnesota’s stout defense bled points as OKC scored with ease.

OKC scored a season-high 40 points in the first quarter. The Thunder entered halftime with a 66-60 lead. A 36-point third quarter helped them enter the final frame with an 11-point lead. Then they limited the Timberwolves to 15 fourth-quarter points.

The Thunder shot 61% from the field and went 18-of-39 (46.2%) from 3. OKC dished a season-high 35 assists on its 49 made baskets. Against the Timberwolves’ top paint defense, OKC outscored them, 58-44, in that area.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points and nine assists. He was accompanied by three 20-point scorers: Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Lu Dort.

“Just the way we moved the ball,” Dort said on their offensive outing. “We know they’re a pretty good defensive team. … Our main thing was just to move the ball and to find the best shot we could find and so we did.”

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 47% from the field and went 12-of-27 (44.4%) from 3. A busy night from the free-throw line kept Minnesota in it as it shot 26-of-32 in that area.

The Timberwolves turned it over 24 times, which led to 23 points off turnovers for the Thunder. The poor ball security helped OKC attempt eight more shots than Minnesota.

Minnesota was led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting and went 9-of-13 from the free-throw line.

The frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a game-time decision, and Gobert were held in check. Towns had 16 points and six rebounds; Gobert had 10 points and five rebounds.

It was an impressive defensive performance by OKC, who credited sound communication for limiting Minnesota to its lowest point total in over a month.

“I thought we had great intensity of that end after the first quarter,” Daigneault said on their defense. “I thought both teams were outscoring each other in the first period of the game. As the game wore on, we really tightened on that end of the floor.”

In a matchup between teams with two of the top-three records in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder were thoroughly the better team and handed the first-placed Timberwolves a lopsided defeat.

OKC elected to zig while Minnesota zagged with its large starting lineup. The move paid dividends as the Thunder’s small-ball ran the Timberwolves off the court.

“With a team that big, you have to play fast,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You have to move the ball. You have to make them work. There’s upsides and downsides, but we used the upsides to our advantage for sure tonight.”

This was a great way to kick off a home back-to-back and the beginning of a brutal stretch of busy basketball for the next month-plus. These types of wins strengthen OKC’s resume as a contender.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.