Tag: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Thunder blow out Rockets, 113-92, in Russell Westbrook’s return to OKC

Westbrook scored a game-high 34 points in his first game back since being traded to Houston, but it was not enough to take down the Thunder.

Pregame was all about Russell Westbrook. After tip-off, it was all about the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Westbrook scored a game-high 34 points on Thursday night, but it was not enough to overcome a balanced scoring attack from OKC, who had five players in double-digits.

Danilo Gallinari, who was initially listed as out before being upgraded to questionable around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, led the Thunder with 23. Gallo was able to take advantage of mismatches against the Rockets’ defense, something that was noticed by both Chris Paul and Erik Horne of The Athletic.

Gallinari also pulled down 11 rebounds as part of a double-double.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 in the win, with Paul, Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams adding 18, 16, and 15, respectively.

Fellow former Thunder guard, James Harden, was also in double-digits for Houston. The Beard had 17 on the night but did not play in the fourth quarter.

Westbrook was welcomed back inside Chesapeake Energy Arena with open arms on Thursday.

The Thunder showed a touching tribute video prior to tip-off and Westbrook received a loud standing ovation when he was announced during the starting lineups.

Despite no longer being in OKC, Westbrook kept his traditional pregame routine, running to the corner of the court, much to the delight of fans.

He was once again greeted with cheers and an ovation after the game was over and he walked off the court.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 21-16 and 12-6 at home. They’ve won back-to-back games after falling to the 76ers and are winners of seven of their last eight.

Report: Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel out against Brooklyn Nets

Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel will not play Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will not have two of their key players available Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets.

According to The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto, Danilo Gallinari is out with a right calf contusion. Nerlens Noel will miss his second straight game because of a left ankle sprain. Noel suffered the ankle injury during the Thunder’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

The Thunder will play the Nets on the road at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Gallinari and Noel have been part of the Thunder’s effort in exceeding expectations this season. The Thunder are 20-16 and ranked seventh in the Western Conference.

A quality shooter throughout his career, Gallinari leads the Thunder in 3-point percentage, shooting 39.2% from deep this season. Gallinari is also the Thunder’s third-leading scorer behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder.

Noel has been important for the Thunder’s defense. A solid rim protector, Noel leads OKC in blocks. According to NBA.com, Noel is currently 13th in the NBA for blocks per game. He is fourth on the Thunder in rebounding, grabbing 5.1 rebounds a game.

With Gallinari out, the Thunder will need to look more to players such as Abdel Nader, Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder to help with their 3-point shooting. With Noel out, the Thunder’s perimeter defense will need to be productive, as he does well manning the paint.

[lawrence-related id=428633,428678,425992,427229]

Thunder have had massive success when playing three point guards

Many expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to move on from either Chris Paul or Dennis Schroder once they landed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Many expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to move on from either Chris Paul or Dennis Schroder once they landed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After all, these three players all play the same position and it would be hard to build around Gilgeous-Alexander with Paul or Schroder potentially taking away from his touches. As such, Oklahoma City was considered a team most likely to sell their assets at the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, however, only the Milwaukee Bucks have won more games than the Thunder (13) since December 1. One of the factors for the success has been the decision to play their three point guards at the same time, which coach Billy Donovan hinted he would do before the season began.

Oklahoma City originally started using this group more often when Terrance Ferguson missed time between December 6 and December 14. But now even with Ferguson back in the rotation, it is clear that there is something positive there with the three-guard lineups.

Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder have played 206 minutes together so far. During that time, they have outscored opponents by a ridiculous 26.7 points per 100 possessions. Their offensive rating (125.9) has been the best in the NBA among all three-man lineups with as much playing time together.

Steven Adams, who alongside forward Danillo Gallinari has been on the floor with the guards for the majority of these possessions, explained why it has worked so well (via The Athletic):

“You’ve got four playmakers that put a lot of pressure on different parts of the floor. You’ve got Dennis who can get to the paint, you’ve got Shai who can also, also Chris who can, and Gallo … It’s pretty tough on the switches. Say one forces a switch, and they’ve got a guard on Gallo. They can all attack and cause the defense to make these sort of rotations. They can beat their man whenever they want.”

While they have obviously had team success with the group, the three have all played well individually when sharing the floor as well. All three players are scoring at least 20 points per 36 minutes when they’ve played together.

It is worth mentioning that more than half of the minutes that this trio has been used (115) have occurred in the fourth quarter. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how well they have shut down opponents to close games.

Paul spoke about their defensive prowess as a unit despite being relatively undersized (via Oklahoman.com):

“We all bring different abilities defensively. Shai has his length. Dennis is a pest, you know what I mean? Me and Dennis usually argue a lot of times about who’s going to guard who. Like, I had Luka for a second, and Dennis said he wanted him. So, we all bring something different.”

Their collaborative perimeter defense has been arguably their best attribute. Teams are shooting just 28.5 percent from three-point range with the three guards on the floor, per NBA Wowy.

It is what has allowed the Thunder to be a potential playoff contender in the Western Conference despite lowly preseason expectations.

[lawrence-related id=1276966]

Steven Adams’ double-double not enough a 76ers snap OKC’s win streak

Steven Adams scored a season-high 24 points to go along with 15 rebounds, but the Thunder fell to Philadelphia 120-113 on Monday night.

The win streak is over as Philadelphia topped the Thunder on Monday night, 120-113.

Steven Adams led the way for Oklahoma City with a double-double. He scored a season-high 24 points to go along with 15 rebounds.

Four other Thunder players were in double-digits. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 21, the 18th time this year he’s scored 20 or more points when not in the starting lineup. Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul both had 18, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 14.

Oklahoma City could not overcome a balanced attack from the 76ers, who shot 51.1% from the floor and had six players in double-digits. Philadelphia also shot 50% from the three-point line.

The Thunder have been one of the hottest teams in the league, due in part to their recent success in close games.

Monday night’s contest was a two-possession game coming into the fourth quarter, but as noted by Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, OKC got within two seven different times in the final frame, but could not tie or take the lead.

Joel Embiid suffered a gruesome finger injury late in the first quarter when he dislocated the ring finger on his left hand in what looked to be a freak accident.

He was treated and taped and did return to score 18 points and grab nine rebounds.

Oklahoma City will look to bounce back when they continue their road trip on Tuesday night in Brooklyn.

Thunder dominate Cavs, 121-106, run winning streak to five

Oklahoma City has won five straight games and nine of their last 10. Dennis Schroder scored 22, his 17th game with 20-plus points this year.

Oklahoma City has needed to come through in the clutch in some of their recent wins. That was not the case against the Cavaliers.

The Thunder dominated Cleveland 121-106 on Saturday night to run their winning streak to five games. OKC has now won nine of their last 10.

Six players were in double-digits for Oklahoma City, led by Dennis Schroder, who came off the bench to score 22. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 20, Danilo Gallinari added 19, and Chris Paul chipped in 13.

Steven Adams also in double figures. He put up a double-double, scoring 10 points to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds.

Hamidou Diallo, who also had 10 points, didn’t look like his right elbow was bothering him at all. He threw down a monster dunk off a steal with the Thunder leading 100-88 in the fourth quarter.

Diallo missed 17 games earlier this year with hyperextended right elbow, and just returned on Tuesday against the Mavericks.

However, Oklahoma City may have lost Nerlens Noel for the foreseeable future.

Noel rolled his ankle during the third quarter while chasing down a ball that was going out of bounds.

Noel left the game and did not return. The Thunder has not given an update on his status.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 20-15 on the year. Their road trip continues on Monday when the Thunder travels to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers.

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 25 as OKC snaps 9-game skid in San Antonio

Five players scored in double-digits for the Thunder who have now won four straight games and eight of their last nine.

For the sixth time this season Chris Paul scored in double-digits in the fourth quarter as Oklahoma City edged the Spurs on Thursday night, 109-103.

The win snapped the Thunder’s nine-game losing streak in San Antonio.

OKC got a collective team effort offensively, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 25. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 19, while Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari had 16, 14, and 13, respectively.

Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. But the Thunder held the Spurs to just 37% shooting in the third quarter, then opening the fourth on an 18-9 run to take control of the game.

The Thunder didn’t need Paul to play the hero on Thursday, but the veteran point guard’s presence was still crucial. He hit five of his seven attempts in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory in what he told ESPN after the game was a “tough place to play.”

“This is a tough place to play, tough place to win,” Paul said. “At some point, we could have laid down, but we’re not built like that. Guys kept playing, kept competing.”

Oklahoma City also had a season-low four turnovers, including just one from Paul.

OKC has won four in a row, and with the win, the Thunder extends their lead over San Antonio in the Western Conference standings to four games.

Oklahoma City is currently in control of the seventh seed at 19-15 overall and 14-11 in conference play.

Next up for OKC, a matchup against Cleveland on Saturday. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made NBA history in win over Raptors

With his 32-point performance on Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set an NBA record for most points scored against the Raptors by a Canadian.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to make history.

In the Thunder’s win over the Phoenix Suns on December 20th, Gilgeous-Alexander became the youngest player not named Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook to score 32 points in a game.

Less than ten days later, he’s done it two more times.

With his 32-point performance in Sunday’s 98-97 win over Toronto, Gilgeous-Alexander now owns the record for most points scored by a Canadian against the Raptors.

When asked it about it after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander said he wasn’t aware of the record, but said, “it’s cool though”.

SGA is Oklahoma City’s leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game and shooting 45.1% from the field.

Over the last five, he’s upped that average to 28.8 points a game, his latest big outing coming on a night that Oklahoma City desperately needed someone to step up in the absence of both Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari.

Gilgeous-Alexander credits the recent change in his production to the game “slowing down”.

“I’m just seeing my teammates more and then that’s opening up driving lanes because the defense has to stay honest. I’m just trying to get better and continue to keep this thing going.”

Reporters aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed SGA’s recent improvement. Chris Paul, who has served as a mentor to the up and coming star said after the game that Gilgeous-Alexander “has everything.”

“He doing his own thing. I just stay in his ear all the time about being aggressive, staying aggressive. He’s got it all. Mid-range, finishes, shooting, his defense. His defensive intensity.”

Paul told ESPN that it was nice to see Gilgeous-Alexander succeed in a game that he’d “circled since training camp”. He added, “everybody here in Canada, know you all got a real one.”

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32, hits game-winner as OKC tops Toronto 98-97

Hamilton, Ontario native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points in his return to Canada, including the game-winner with 36 seconds left.

It was a homecoming to remember for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Back in his native Canada, Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career-high and banked in the game-winning basket as Oklahoma City escaped on Sunday evening with a 98-97 win over the Raptors.

Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 32 points in three of the Thunder’s last five games, but to do it against the reigning NBA Champions near his hometown of Hamilton makes this one a little sweeter.

With 36 seconds left, SGA drove with his left hand into the lane, hung in the air and banked it in to put the Thunder ahead by one. He sealed the victory with a rebound at the other end when Fred Van Vleet’s potential game-winning 3-pointer was off the mark.

Three other players were in double-digits for Oklahoma City. Chris Paul had 25, while Nerlens Noel came off the bench to score 13 and Darius Bazley added 12.

The Thunder were without Dennis Schroder, who missed Sunday’s game due to right ankle soreness. It was the first game Schroder did not play in this season.

With the victory, Oklahoma City has now won six of their last seven games and improve to 17-15 on the season.

The Thunder are back in action on Tuesday when they host the Mavericks.

Thunder’s win streak snapped as Memphis tops OKC 110-97

Oklahoma City shot just 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from three as the Grizzlies dominated the Thunder from start to finish.

There was no comeback against the Grizzlies this time.

Memphis ended the Thunder’s four-game winning streak with a 110-97 win inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday night.

After getting off to a slow start, the Thunder cut the halftime deficit to two thanks to an 11-5 run over the last 2:20 of the second quarter. But the third-quarter issues that have plagued Oklahoma City all year long popped up again as the Grizzlies outscored OKC 37-27 in the frame.

Memphis built their lead to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter, going up 96-76 on a Jonas Valanciunas layup with 9:10 left to play.

The Grizzlies shot nearly 55% from the floor, hitting on 46 of their 84 shots from the field. Memphis also hit on 40% of their shots from beyond the arc.

In comparison, Oklahoma City shot just 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from three.

Chris Paul led the way for the Thunder, posting a double-double with a game-high 23 points to go along with 11 assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 while Dennis Schroder added 20.

Oklahoma City missed the presence of Danilo Gallinari in the lineup. Gallo missed Thursday’s game with left ankle soreness. Billy Donovan announced that Gallinari will not be making the trip to Charlotte and Toronto with the team as a “precautionary measure”.

Darius Bazley, who got the start once again in the place of Gallinari, scored three points.

Oklahoma City has a quick turnaround. The Thunder will back the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte on Friday night.

OKC and the Hornets tip-off at 6 p.m. CT.

Chris Paul not surprised OKC competing for playoff spot

The Thunder are over .500 for the first time this year. ESPN’s NBA BPI Playoff Odds gives OKC an 85.4% chance to make the postseason.

Oklahoma City is over .500 for the first time this year, thanks in part to a season’s best four-game winning streak.

Dennis Schroder just won the Western Conference Player of the Week and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set and then matched a career-high 32 points against the Suns and the Clippers.

OKC has continued on after losing their top two stars off of last year’s rosters.

They’ve found a way to deal with injuries to some of their key players. And they’ve competed in almost every game.

With low expectations heading into the season, there may be a lot of people that are surprised that the Oklahoma City Thunder contending for a playoff spot in the West.

But Chris Paul isn’t one of them.

“Yup,” Paul told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman after practice on Monday. “I thought we’d actually have a better record. I don’t know who I said it to at some point, but I said, no offense, but as long as I’m on the court I feel like we’ve always got a chance. I don’t care what the team is, what it looks like, who it is or whatever.”

As noted by Mussatto, the oddsmakers are siding with Paul.

As of the time of writing on Thursday, December 26, FiveThirtyEight gives Oklahoma City a 79% chance to make the postseason while ESPN’s NBA BPI Playoff Odds have the Thunder at 85.4%.

Don’t get too crazy though, both sites place OKC’s odds of winning a championship at less than .1%.

However, those numbers reflect the Thunder as they are now, with Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams. And with those players available to be traded, a roster shakeup in Oklahoma City could be imminent.

But Paul’s not worried about that right now. He’s focusing on the “small victories”.

“Everybody always tries to tell your story,” Paul said. “Everybody said I didn’t want to be here either. You know what I mean? I think for us it’s just about continuing to play hard and not get ahead of ourselves. Understand it’s a lot of season left. We just got above .500. You take the small victories.”

Oklahoma City will try and complete a perfect homestand with a win over the Grizzlies on Thursday night.

Tip-off against Memphis is at 7 p.m. inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.