Tag: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

OKC’s winning-streak snapped in 107-97 loss to Mavericks

Dennis Schroder got the start in place of Chris Paul and led the Thunder with 20 points. Three other players were in double-digits.

Oklahoma City had their five-game winning streak snapped on Monday night a 107-97 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The evening featured multiple tributes to Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday morning along with his daughter Gianna and seven others when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed 40 miles outside of Los Angeles.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore a Kobe No. 8 home jersey into Chesapeake Energy Arena and both he and Dennis Schroder wore Kobes during pregame.

Multiple players paid tribute to Kobe with their shoes, either wearing Kobes or writing messages of condolences to Bryant, Gianna and the victims on the sides.

As the games did yesterday, Monday’s matchup between the Thunder and the Mavs started with a moment of silence, followed by violations on each team’s opening possession. Dallas won the tip and took an 8-second violation in honor of Kobe’s first number, followed by OKC, who took a 24-second shot clock violation to honor the number he wore at the end.

Chris Paul did not play on Monday night for personal reasons. He was not with the team and Billy Donovan did not elaborate on the situation surrounding his point guard. It was the first game he had missed all season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the only player on the Thunder to start every game.

He scored 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the field, leading Donovan to tell reporters, including Erik Horne of The Athletic, “he didn’t have a great offensive night”.

Dennis Schroder got the starting nod and led OKC with 21 points. Danilo Gallinari and Deonte Burton were also in double-figures.

Nerlens Noel also returned to the rotation after missing Saturday’s game after surgery to repair a fractured cheek. Noel scored nine points in 19 minutes.

Mavs star Luca Doncic led all scorers with 29 as part of a double-double.

Oklahoma City is back in action on Wednesday when they head to the West Coast to take on the Sacramento Kings.

Thunder players pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore Kobe’s No. 8 Lakers jersey to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday ahead of OKC’s game against the Mavericks.

Each player found his own way to honor the memory of Kobe Bryant.

By wearing his jersey into Chesapeake Energy Arena or a pair of his shoes for tonight’s game, Bryant will be present on Monday when the Oklahoma City Thunder tip-off against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Thunder honored Kobe this morning, displaying his picture on the outside of the arena.

Second-year guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came to tonight’s game wearing Bryant’s iconic No. 8 Lakers home jersey, and then wore a pair of Kobe’s during pregame.

Dennis Schroder also donned a pair of Kobe’s for warmups.

Billy Donovan spoke about the influence of Kobe Bryant and the impact the late Lakers star had on the current generation.

“He was an iconic player, true champion, true competitor who was incredibly passionate about being the very best he could be. He took his God-given ability and with his own drive took it to a different level.”

It’s not just the players who are honoring Bryant’s legacy.

According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the staff inside Chesapeake Energy Arena is also wearing purple ribbons with a yellow pin to honor Bryant’s memory.

Dennis Schroder showing he’s a star in OKC’s three-guard lineup

This week against both the Rockets and the Magic, Dennis Schroder’s big second-half performances helped lead the Thunder to victory.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is getting a lot of love for being the next up and coming star of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And rightfully so. The second-year player has wowed in his first season in OKC and if there are any doubts about his star potential, someone needs only to refer to his historic triple-double against the Timberwolves on Jan. 13.

Or his historic game against the Raptors on Dec. 29.

Or when he made franchise history in a game against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 20.

Chris Paul is getting a lot of love for his resurgence. As well he should. He’s playing like the Paul people remember from his time with the Clippers.

CP3 has embraced his role in Oklahoma City. Much more a true point guard with the Thunder than he was in Houston, some nights Paul does the scoring, often times he does the facilitating. Regardless of which type of night it is, Paul cares more about the wins than he does about his stats.

And what about Dennis Schroder?

Sometimes it feels like Schroder gets lost in the shuffle due to the fact that he has yet to start a game this season. But Schroder is putting together quite a compelling case for Sixth Man of the Year.

On Wednesday, Schroder tied his season-high with 31 points in Oklahoma City’s win over the Orlando Magic. Twenty of those points came in the second half.

He also had a strong second half in the Thunder’s comeback win over Houston on Monday. In that game, he scored 17 of his 23 points in the final two quarters, picking up the scoring slack after Paul, who scored 27 in the first half, tallied a single point throughout the rest of the game.

Though his point production is slightly down from his career-best (18.6 this season down from 19.4 in 2017-18), he’s shooting at a significantly improved rate from the field.

This year, Schroder is hitting a career-best 47.4% of his shots, including 53.2% of those from two-point range. Though his 3-point percentage is bringing his overall percentage down, his 36.9% from beyond the arc is the best of his career.

Schroder has found his stride this season in Oklahoma City and there’s no doubt the Thunder wouldn’t be in contention for a playoff spot without him.

Dennis Schroder’s big second half leads OKC past Magic

Schroder scored 20 of his game-high 31 in the second half as the Thunder held off Orlando to move to a season-high seven games over .500.

Dennis Schroder scored 20 points in the second half as Oklahoma City held off the Orlando Magic 120-114 on Wednesday night.

The Thunder have now won four in a row on the road and are a season-high seven games over .500.

It took a balanced scoring attack to take down the Magic.

Six players were in double-digits for the Thunder, led by Schroder who tied his season-high with a game-high 31. Schroder was efficient in 33 minutes, going 13-of-18 from the field, including hitting three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. He also dished out nine assists.

As a team, Oklahoma City shot 60.5% from the field and 47.4% beyond the arc.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 18 as part of a double-double to go along with 12 rebounds.

Chris Paul, Nerlens Noel, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari were all also in double figures.

In his return to the lineup, Noel played 30 minutes of game time, scoring 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds. Noel was in the starting lineup against the Magic due to the absence of Steven Adams, who missed Wednesday’s game due to a left ankle sprain.

While the Thunder have been the best team in the clutch this year, they almost let one get away from them against Orlando.

After taking a nine-point lead in the half, the Magic outscored OKC 38-32 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to three headed into the fourth.

Though the Thunder opened the final frame on a 10-2 run, a 3-pointer by Aaron Gordon with 4:58 remaining capped a 15-5 run by Orlando to get it to 107-106.

But the Magic couldn’t quite overtake OKC.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 26-19 and 12-10 on the road. The Thunder return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Preview: OKC looks to sweep regular-season series vs. Magic

The Thunder beat the Magic 102-94 in Oklahoma City on Nov. 5, and look to take the second part of the home-and-home on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City stays on the road Wednesday when they take on the Magic in Orlando.

The Thunder won the first meeting between the two teams 102-94 back on Nov. 5 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. In that game, Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 44 points.

Paul is coming off Monday’s win over the Rockets in which he scored 27 of his team-leading 28 points in the first half, effectively keeping OKC within striking distance as the Thunder put together yet another second-half comeback to earn a 112-107 victory.

Down by 17 in the third quarter, the win was Oklahoma City’s fourth-largest comeback victory this season. Their ability to claw back from double-digit deficits might continue to surprise the rest of the league, but Danilo Gallinari, who had 25 against the Rockets, told ESPN for the Thunder, it’s become routine.

“We showed it to everybody, to ourselves first, since the beginning of the season,” Gallinari said of Oklahoma City’s propensity for comebacks. “That’s what we do.”

As for the Magic, they also suffered a sluggish start on Monday, scoring just 19 points in the first quarter of their game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Orlando did come back to win, 106-83, buoyed by five three-pointers in the first half by Terrence Ross.

Tip-off in Orlando is set for 6 p.m. CT.

It’s not just Chris Paul, OKC is the most clutch team in the NBA

Oklahoma City overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets on Monday. It was their fourth-largest comeback this season.

It’s been talked about before. But Monday night’s comeback win over the Houston Rockets was just another example of how the Oklahoma City Thunder is the most clutch team in the NBA.

Though the margin was 16 at the start of the fourth, the Thunder trailed by as many as 17 in the third. And yet, it’s only (only!) their fourth-largest comeback this season.

Chris Paul has been praised for his performance in late-game situations. In fact, he’s the best in the NBA. Not super surprising, though, for a veteran guard that has had a Hall of Fame career.

But of Paul’s 28 points on Monday night, 27 came in the first half, leaving the task of leading a comeback to his teammates.

And, as Nick Crain of Forbes points out, it’s not just Paul that’s been coming through in the clutch.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is tied for sixth in the league with 72 points. To put that into perspective, he is tied with guys like James Harden and Devin Booker. Danilo Gallinari is tied for 29th in the NBA with 55 clutch points. While that may not seem like much, that ties him with Anthony Davis.

But coming through in the clutch depends on so much more than scoring points. As noted by Crain, Oklahoma City’s defense is also clamping down when the game is on the line.

Another reason the Thunder have won so many games down the stretch is due to their suffocating defense that leads the league in steals and points off turnovers. They’ve also taken care of business on the glass.

Per Crain, in the clutch, Oklahoma City is first in rebounds (104), steals (22), and points off of turnovers (55), as well as sixth in defensive rating (97.7).

It’s fitting that with those numbers, the 6-0 run that the Thunder used to take the lead late in the fourth quarter was sparked by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stealing the ball from James Harden, taking the length of the floor for a dunk.

OKC overcomes 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to top reeling Rockets

The Thunder trailed 87-71 after three quarters but used a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to two with just over four minutes to play.

Double-digit comebacks are becoming standard for the Oklahoma City Thunder as on Monday, OKC rallied from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to top the reeling Rockets, 112-107.

Houston’s largest lead came at 81-64 with 3:38 left in the third quarter.

But Oklahoma City outscored the Rockets 41-20 in the final frame, sparked by a 9-2 run that got them within nine points with 9 ½ minutes to play.

From there, the Thunder scored 13 straight points to cut the deficit to two at 100-98 with 4 ½ to go in regulation. OKC capped the game with a 6-0 that gave them a 108-105 lead with just over a minute left, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws to seal the victory.

Chris Paul led the Thunder with 28 points, 27 of which came in the first half.

Dennis Schroder picked up the slack in the second half, scoring 17 of his 23 in the final two quarters.

Both Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were also in double-digits, with 28 and 13, respectively.

Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 32 as part of a triple-double, adding 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. He now has a triple-double against all 30 teams in the league.

Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman pointed out that, according to the Thunder, Monday was just the third time in franchise history that OKC has overcome a 16-point plus fourth-quarter deficit.

The 17-points are Oklahoma City’s 4th biggest comeback this year.

Oklahoma City will stay on the road and will travel to Orlando to face the Magic on Wednesday.

Chris Paul goes for 30 as Thunder thump Trail Blazers

Paul scored 21 of his 30 points in the first quarter as OKC capped their three-game homestand with a 119-106 win.

Chris Paul showed up on Saturday night as a short-handed Thunder squad thumped the Portland Trail Blazers.

Paul tied his season-high with 30 points in the 119-106 win, on 11-of-15 shooting, including hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Twenty-one of his points came in the first half.

Only Damian Lillard had more, scoring a game-high 34.

Three other players were in double-digits for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 to go along with 10 rebounds for a double-double, while both Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder scored 15 apiece.

Steven Adams made his return to the starting lineup after Friday’s game with a right knee contusion. He scored five points in 34 minutes.

Oklahoma City was without two of its starters on Saturday. Danilo Gallinari and Terrance Ferguson did not play, Gallinari due to rest and Ferguson due to illness.

Abdel Nader was also held out. He missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle, an injury he suffered in Monday’s win over the Timberwolves.

Justin Patton was a late scratch due to illness, although there was no word if it is the same illness that Ferguson is dealing with.

Saturday night was the final regular-season matchup between the two teams, splitting the four games this year 2-2.

After dropping the first two games of their homestand, the Thunder capped off the three-game set with a win.

OKC heads back out on the road to take the Rockets on Monday.

Slow start dooms Thunder in loss to Miami

Oklahoma City trailed the Heat 105-83 with 8 minutes to play. They cut the deficit to seven on a Chris Paul 3, but couldn’t get any closer.

Once again the Thunder found themselves down double-digits late in the game before making a push. And once again, like it was on Wednesday against the Raptors, it was too little too late.

Miami led 61-47 at the half and withstood a fourth-quarter rally from Oklahoma City to top the Thunder 115-108.

The Heat built their lead to 105-83 with eight minutes to play, but OKC refused to go away without a fight, cutting the deficit to seven on a Chris Paul 3 with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

They couldn’t get any closer.

Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 27 while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder had 18 each.

Nerlens Noel returned to the lineup after missing six games with an ankle sprain to score 10 points and grab six rebounds in 21 minutes after starting in place of the injured Steven Adams.

Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo were both in double-figures as well on Friday night, scoring 14 and 11, respectively.

With the loss, Oklahoma City has now lost three of four and have one more game at home on Saturday against the Trail Blazers before heading out on the road.

Tip-off against Portland on Saturday is set for 8 p.m. CT.

Preview: Heat and Thunder meet for first time this season

After an offseason full of trade rumors, OKC hosts the Heat on Friday. Miami is 10-11 on the road and has lost two of their last three.

It very easily could’ve been the other way around.

If things had worked out the way everyone thought they would back in July, it would be Chris Paul leading the Miami Heat into Chesapeake Energy Arena for Friday night’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But as it is, Paul is running point for a surprising Thunder squad that’s sitting at No. 7 in the Western Conference standings and fighting for a spot in the postseason.

One of the hottest teams in the NBA during the month of December, Oklahoma City has cooled off a little in the month of January, having dropped two of their last three.

Against the Raptors on Wednesday night, OKC fell behind by 30 before making a furious comeback that saw them draw within just a few points in the final minutes.

That’s been their M.O. to get down in the first half, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a historic triple-double earlier this week against the Timberwolves, told ESPN that OKC needs to find ways to get off to a faster start.

“We know if there’s time on the clock, there’s nothing us as a group is not capable of. It’s been a little bit of us in the past to get down a little bit — a lot actually — to start games. We’ve just got to figure out a way to not let that happen, and put together a full four quarters.”

Miami comes into Friday second in the Eastern Conference, but the Heat have struggled on the road and are just 10-11 away from South Beach.

Friday night’s matchup is the first between the two teams this year. They split the regular-season series in 2018-19.