Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

PHOTOS: Best images from the Thunder’s 121-110 loss to the Grizzlies

Here are the best photos from the Thunder’s loss to the Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder concluded their four-game road trip with a lackadaisical performance against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 121-110 loss.

In a game that was hyped up for its star guard matchup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ja Morant, the massive free-throw differential was the story of the game.

The Grizzlies went 29-of-40 (72.5 percent) while the Thunder 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the charity stripe. That essentially decided the game and helped the Grizzlies defeat the Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-low 15 points while Morant exited the game in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury.

Let’s take a look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s loss to the Grizzlies.

Player grades: Free throw, fast break disparity cause Thunder to lose to Grizzlies, 121-110

The Thunder wrapped up their four-game road trip with a forgettable performance in a 121-110 loss to the Grizzlies.

Friday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies was billed as a superstar matchup between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ja Morant — two of the best young guards in the league.

Gilgeous-Alexander entered the night averaging 32.3 points on 54.6 percent shooting and receiving MVP praise from national pundits. Meanwhile, Morant continued to play like his usual dominant self, averaging 29.3 points and 6.8 assists entering the game.

Instead, both turned in mundane performances as Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-low in points and Morant exited the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.

The Non-Morant Grizzlies stepped up big time in this game and helped secure their 10th win of the season.

Starters Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds and John Konchar scored 19 points. Off the bench, Santi Aldama scored 15 points and Tyus Jones scored 13 points.

In the end, the Grizzlies defeated the Thunder, 121-110.

The Thunder were able to keep it within reach the entire game but were not able to make a serious run at taking their first lead of the game. The Grizzlies were able to answer back any potential Thunder run and put out the fire.

So what was the difference in this game? The charity stripe.

The Thunder shot 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) while the Grizzlies shot 29-of-40 (72.5 percent) from the free-throw line. A 29-attempt difference and a 20-point difference in an 11-point loss.

The culprit for the wide difference in free throws? The Thunder committed 28 fouls to the Grizzlies’ 13 fouls.

Allowing 30 fast-break points also certainly didn’t help either — especially when the Thunder only scored six of their own fast-break points.

Outside of those two areas, the Thunder were able to keep up with the Grizzlies in the rest of the offensive categories, but a free-throw and fast-break disparity that large requires almost a perfect performance in other areas of the game and the Thunder simply did not do that.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

Recap: ESPN’s ‘The Hoop Collective’ podcast talks about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

This podcast was music to Thunder fans’ ears.

It took Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up historically efficient scoring numbers, but the national pundits are finally talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder in a positive light.

In Friday’s episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN trio Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps spoke extensively about Gilgeous-Alexander’s season.

In 14 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.3 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds. All three also gushed about the Thunder’s future and the flexibility they have with their future due to draft capital.

The full podcast episode can be watched here:

Let’s take a look at some of the best quotes and paraphrases from the podcast related to Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.

Thunder vs. Grizzlies: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Friday

The 7-8 Thunder finish their road trip with a game against the 9-6 Grizzlies on Friday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Thunder (7-8) were able to help give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander his first MVP moment against the Washington Wizards when he hit the game-winning stepback three-pointer that made the rounds on NBA Twitter.

On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.3 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (9-6) have hit a mini-slump with a two-game losing streak. The Grizzlies have had a middling start to their season, ranking 16th in net rating at exactly zero.

On the season, Ja Morant is averaging 29.3 points on 48 percent shooting, 6.8 assists and 6.2 assists.

PHOTOS: Best images from the Thunder’s 121-120 win over the Wizards

This game had a lot of good photos as the Thunder defeated the Wizards, 121-120.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to have his first MVP moment of the season in the country’s capital on Wednesday.

Down by two points with six seconds left to go, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to create space and hit a step-back game-winning three-pointer against the Washington Wizards in a 121-120 win.

Once again, Gilgeous-Alexander was the talk of NBA Twitter town after the game as he ascends to superstar status with his averages of 32.3 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 5,9 assists and 4.5 rebounds this season.

Let’s take a look at some of the best photos from the monumental win in D.C. that continues to fortify Gilgeous-Alexander’s status.

NBA Twitter reacts to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 42 points and game-winner vs. Wizards

The best tweets from SGA’s 42-point night that saw him hit a game-winning 3 against the Wizards.

Whenever Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays, he becomes the topic of conversation on NBA Twitter.

That’s what happens when you score 30-plus points on shooting efficiency from a guard that hasn’t been seen since Michael Jordan.

Add Wednesday night to the collection. His 42-point performance, which included the game-winning step-back 3, blew up on Twitter as several national media pundits weighed in.

In the end, the Thunder defeated the Washington Wizards, 121-120.

The 42 points tied Gilgeous-Alexander’s career high, and now the 24-year-old is averaging 32.3 points on 54.8% shooting this season.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets from Gilgeous-Alexander’s night that included his first MVP moment of the season.

Player grades: SGA scores career-high 42 points and hits game-winner in 121-120 win over Wizards

SGA with his first MVP moment of the season in DC.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is him.

After having his previous MVP moment stolen by the Milwaukee Bucks, Gilgeous-Alexander regained it against the Washington Wizards.

For the Thunder’s 121-120 win over the Wizards, Gilgeous-Alexander will be the headliner. He hit the game-winning step-back 3 with 1.9 seconds left in the game. The 3-pointer gave him a career-high tying 42 points.

The mildly quiet Wizards crowd was silenced by the shot.

It looked as though the Wizards were on the verge of winning their fifth-consecutive game after Bradley Beal, who returned after a five-game absence due to health and safety protocols, hit a baseline fading-midrange shot to give the Wizards the two-point lead with 6.1 seconds left.

Clearly, it was just not meant to be Beal’s night. Gilgeous-Alexander stole the spotlight four seconds later with his own high-level difficulty shot.

Even though their team lost on a heartbreaker, the Wizards crowd couldn’t help appreciating the greatness they witnessed with Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance. They chanted “MVP” following the game.

At this point, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the league, and the more he plays, the more eyes are drawn to Oklahoma City.

The Thunder are slowly creeping back into the national conversation and Gilgeous-Alexander playing like an MVP candidate is responsible for that.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

OKC Blue: Notable performances, highlights in 110-95 loss to G League Ignite

A monster fourth quarter from Scoot Henderson helped lead the Ignite to the win over the OKC Blue.

The Oklahoma City Blue, the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, played a morning game against the G League Ignite on Wednesday.

The Ignite used a Scoot Henderson 16-point fourth quarter to escape with a 110-95 win.

Here are some of the notable performances from the game.

Scoot Henderson: 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and four steals

D.J. Wilson: 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting

Ousmane Dieng: five points on 2-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds and three assists

Eugene Omoruyi: 17 points and six rebounds.

Jaden Shackelford: 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 6-of-7 three-point shooting

Full highlights from the game are below:

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Rookie Power Rankings: Paolo Banchero, Bennedict Mathurin pace the class

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2022-23 season.

Through the first four weeks of the NBA season, the rookie class has put forth some tremendous performances. Several players stand out above the rest in the early going.

Of course, No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero came out of the gate on fire and leads the class in scoring. Bennedict Mathurin is a few points behind him in the scoring column, while Jaden Ivey continues to look electric so far.

In our second installment, some players cracked the rankings for the first time after a hot two-week stretch since our inaugural list came out. These newcomers have seemingly taken advantage of their opportunities and are making the most of them.

To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.

Thunder vs. Wizards: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Wednesday

The 6-8 Thunder continue their road trip with a matchup against the 8-6 Wizards on Wednesday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Thunder (6-8) continue their East Coast road trip as they travel to D.C. to take on the Wizards (8-6).

In their last game, the Thunder almost pulled the upset win against the Boston Celtics but fell short. Meanwhile, the Wizards are on a four-game winning streak. Their most recent came against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In terms of net rating, both teams are near each other. The Thunder are ranked 19th at a minus-0.5 net rating and the Wizards are ranked at 22nd at a minus-1.5 net rating.