Tag: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City ‘not going away’ as Thunder climbs power rankings

The Thunder climbed one spot in the Uproxx power rankings after going a perfect four-for-four in their games last week.

Oklahoma City has certainly been making moves over the last week or so.

The Thunder are over .500 for the first time this year. They’ve won four straight games, a season’s best. Three of those four victories were comebacks from at least 18 points down.

Dennis Schroder is in the midst of the best season of his career and is coming off a week in which he averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Good enough to earn him league honors for the Western Conference Player of the Week.

All in all, things are looking up for Oklahoma City, their spot in the Uproxx power rankings included.

This week, OKC moved up a spot to No. 13.

Billy Donovan’s team has nine wins in its last 12 games and, during that run, the Thunder have been a top-12 team in the NBA on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma City’s +4.7 net rating, even in a small sample, paints a favorable picture and the Thunder are now above the .500 mark at 15-14 and firmly in the playoff discussion in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City’s success, this most recent week, in particular, is due in part to outstanding guard play from Schroder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who set and then matched a career-high 32 this week, and Chris Paul.

Gilgeous-Alexander continues to look better and better, averaging 21.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game (on high-end efficiency) in the last nine games. He is flanked by an All-Star caliber contributor in Paul, even if his best days are behind him. The future Hall of Famer isn’t as prolific as he was in his prime, but Paul has a 61 percent true shooting and strong per-minute averages that remind the NBA world of just how good he is.

The Thunder look to have more wins coming, with Memphis and Charlotte on the schedule.

Long-term success will be a question of if Sam Presti decides to keep the team together. Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are available to be traded, and there are teams that are reportedly interested in Adams.

But for the moment, Oklahoma City has done what most people believed they couldn’t prior to the start of the season – win.

Three takeaways from OKC’s 118-112 win over the Clippers

Oklahoma City overcame another double-digit deficit to win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career-high, and OKC dominated in the paint.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are over .500 for the first time this season at 15-14, thanks to a 118-112 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday evening inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

OKC has now won four in a row. Here are three takeaways:

Thunder prove they’re comfortable playing from behind

For the third time in seven days, Oklahoma City had to overcome a double-digit deficit to get the win.

Montrezl Harrell made a layup with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter to give the Clippers a 53-35 lead. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder combined for the next 10 points to trim LA’s lead down to eight.

According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Sunday night’s victory was the Thunder’s fourth comeback from 15 points or more. That’s tied for the most in the NBA this year.

 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular

It’s almost fitting that on the night that Oklahoma City welcomed back Paul George, one of the players that the Thunder received in return for him would steal the show.

Gilgeous-Alexander tied the career-high that he set earlier in the week, scoring 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the floor. SGA was perfect from the free-throw line and rounded out his stat sheet with three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

 

Battle in the paint belonged to OKC

 Oklahoma City outscored the Clippers 60-40 in the paint Sunday.

Two major factors contributed to that. First, Steven Adams had a terrific game for OKC, recording a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Second, Terrance Ferguson showed why he’s in the starting lineup as a defensive stopper. Ferguson frustrated Paul George into just 6-of-17 shooting that included making just three shots from the field in the second, third, and fourth quarter combined.

The Thunder also outrebounded LAC, 49-42, allowing the Clippers just 10 offensive rebounds on the evening.

Gilgeous-Alexander ties career-high as OKC edges Paul George, Clippers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as Oklahoma City overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Clippers 118-112 on Sunday night.

Paul George’s return to Oklahoma City was triumphant, just not on the scoreboard.

The former Thunder star was greeted by a standing ovation on Sunday night and was acknowledged for his contributions to “the team and the community” during starting lineup introductions.

Ironically enough, it was one of the players that Oklahoma City got in return for George that stole the show.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career-high with 32 points as the Thunder edged the Clippers 118-112 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

As has been the case lately, Oklahoma City needed to put together a rally to pull out the win, although Sunday’s was slightly smaller, with OKC only needing to overcome an 18-point deficit.

In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, three other Thunder players were in double-digits on Sunday. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 28, Steven Adams had 20, and Chris Paul chipped in 12.

George scored 18 points for the Clippers, grabbing two rebounds to go along with three assists, and two steals.

Although he was listed as questionable, Danilo Gallinari did not play in the win. He experienced left ankle soreness during pregame and was a last-minute scratch from the starting lineup.

Darius Bazley made his second career start in his place.

Kawhi Leonard did not play for the Clippers due to injury management for left knee soreness. Patrick Beverly was also out on Sunday thanks to a sore groin.

Patrick Patterson, who spent last season in Oklahoma City as well, also received cheers in his return to OKC.

With the win, the Thunder are over .500 for the first time this season and have won four in a row.

Oklahoma City will have the next three days off over the Christmas holiday and will return to action on Thursday for their final game of a five-game homestand when they host the Memphis Grizzlies.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made Thunder history in win over Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Thunder history with his career night against the Suns.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career game Friday against the Phoenix Suns, adding to a sophomore season that’s been filled with improvement.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 32 points and made Thunder history in OKC’s 126-108 win over the Suns. According to Stat Muse, Gilgeous-Alexander became the youngest Thunder player other than Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook to score 32 points.

A second-year guard out of Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best young players in the league. As the Thunder’s leading scorer, he is averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game and shooting 35.0% from the 3-point line.

According to NBA.com, he ranks fourth in scoring among sophomores, and he’s ranked 11th in rebounds (5.1).

Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to OKC in the offseason as part of the deal that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder were projected to be near the bottom of the Western Conference this season, but they’re currently 14-14 and are ranked seventh in the conference.

Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as players such as Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, have helped the Thunder play better than expected this season.

Paul, with his veteran leadership, leads the team in assists. A good shooter throughout his career, Gallinari is second on the team in both scoring and 3-point field goal percentage.

The Thunder will play the Clippers in OKC on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

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Gilgeous-Alexander sets new career-high in 126-108 win over Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and five other Thunder players were in double-digits as Oklahoma City dominated the Suns, 126-108.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a man on a mission Friday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 32 points in Oklahoma City’s blowout win, 126-108 over the Phoenix Suns.

The Thunder have now won 8 of their last 11 games, including three in a row.

In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-high, Oklahoma City had fairly even scoring up and down their lineup. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 24, while Danilo Gallinari had 22. Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Nerlens Noel were all in double-digits as well with 13, 10, and 10, respectively.

Even that pesky third quarter that Oklahoma City has struggled with this season didn’t provide too many problems as the Thunder scored 44 points in the third quarter alone.

Deandre Ayton did not play for the Suns on Friday.

He suffered a sprained right ankle earlier in the week against the Clippers. That was his only game back after serving a 25-game suspension for testing positive for a diuretic.

With the win, the Thunder move back to .500 on the season at 14-14. Oklahoma City is 10-5 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. OKC is back in action on Sunday when they host the Clippers.

The game will be the first time that Paul George was returned to Oklahoma City is asking for a trade to Los Angeles in the offseason.

OKC overcomes 24-point deficit behind Schroder’s 31, defeat Grizzlies 126-122

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Thunder are the first team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 24-point deficit in back-to-back games.

For a three-minute stretch at the beginning of the third quarter, it looked like Oklahoma City’s fate against the Grizzlies was already decided.

Down 89-65 with 7:10 left in the frame, the Thunder caught fire, closing out the quarter by outscoring Memphis 28-11 to cut the deficit to 100-93 heading into the fourth.

Like they did Monday against the Bulls, the Thunder took back the lead in the final frame, a Dennis Schroder jumper with just over eight minutes to play.

Chris Paul put OKC out in front 122-120 with a minute left to play and it was Schroder on Wednesday night that iced the win, making all four of his free-throw attempts down the stretch.

Per Elias Sports Bureau, the Thunder are the first team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 24-point deficit in back-to-back games. They are the second team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 20-point deficit in back-to-back games, joining the Pacers on Jan. 11 and Jan. 13, 2010.

After the game, Billy Donovan gave his team credit for grinding it out despite a tough first half.

“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys. Certainly, the bench was a major factor in us being able to put ourselves in a position to get back in the game. I thought we closed the game well. I thought we got good shots and did some good things down the stretch.”

Oklahoma City’s bench outscored the Grizzlies’ 52-49, with 31 of those bench points for OKC coming from Schroder.

Five other players for the Thunder were in double-digits, Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both had 20, Chris Paul scored 18, and Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel added 13 and 10 respectively.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 13-14 on the year and 9-5 at home.

The Thunder are back in action on Friday when they host the Phoenix Suns.

Schröder’s 27 leads Thunder to first winning streak of season

Dennis Schröder came off the bench to score a game-high 27 points as the Thunder demolished the Jazz on Monday night, 104-90.

Oklahoma City is on a three-game winning streak.

Their 104-90 takedown of the Utah Jazz on Monday night gave OKC their first winning streak, as well as continued their best stretch of the season, as they’ve won five of their last six.

The Thunder were led by Dennis Schröder, who came off the bench to score a game-high 27 points, shooting 11-of-21 from the field.

In a game where bench points made a significant difference, Oklahoma City’s outstanding sixth man alone outscored the Utah bench, 27-23. In total, the Thunder got 45 points from their second unit.

When asked after the game what has made him so successful in his role, according to ESPN, Schröder told reporters he’s focused on making an impact.

“I just try to impact the game when I get in,” said Schröder, who set his career-high of 41 points in a game against the Jazz last season. “Try to make the right plays offensively and defensively. It’s just energy coming in and playing with pace.”

Four other OKC players were in double-digits against the Jazz: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20, while Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Abdel Nader had 15, 11, and 10, respectively.

Darius Bazley got his first career start in place of an injured Danilo Gallinari, who missed Monday’s game with an ankle sprain.

The Thunder were also without Terrance Ferguson due to hip soreness.

Oklahoma City has Tuesday off, before taking on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Thunder open four-game road trip with 108-96 win over Portland

OKC led by as many as 18. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schröder, and Chris Paul combined for 62 of the team’s 108 points in the victory.

Don’t look now but the Oklahoma City Thunder have won four of their last five games. That’s the team’s best stretch of the season.

The Thunder opened a four-game road trip with a 108-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schröder each scored 21 points for Oklahoma City, while Chris Paul added 20.

Nerlens Noel came off the bench to give the team a boost, scoring 13 points in 20 minutes of game time.

OKC also handed in a solid defensive effort, holding the Trail Blazers to a season-low shooting percentage and a season-low in points, according to Jason Quick, who covers the Trail Blazers for The Athletic.

Per ESPN, Billy Donovan felt like it was a night-and-day difference from the last time the Thunder were in Portland.

“Obviously, the last time we came here we were really beat handily, from start to finish. We did get it back to nine, but we never really were in control of the game, constantly fighting an uphill battle,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said, recalling the 136-119 loss n Nov. 26. “It was good that we were able to come into a tough place and play and find a way to win the game.”

Abdel Nader got the start Sunday in place of Terrance Ferguson. Ferguson missed the game due to right hip soreness, and Donovan told reporters, including Maddie Lee of the Oklahoman, that he expects Ferguson to be out Monday against the Jazz as well.

Lee did point out that Ferguson did travel with the team.

The Thunder will tip-off against Utah Monday night at 8 p.m. CT inside Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Three takeaways from Oklahoma City’s 107-100 loss to Pacers

Steven Adams had another strong start, OKC dropped another close game, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to struggle from the field.

Oklahoma City fell at home on Wednesday night to the Indianapolis Pacers by a score of 107-100.

Three takeaways from the loss:

Steven Adams got off to another strong start 

Much like he did in the two previous games against the New Orleans Pelicans, Adams got off to a hot start.

He scored the Thunder’s first four points and eight for their first 11.

Twelve of his team-high 20 points came in the first quarter, and he finished the night a perfect 8-8 from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line.

It’s the second time in his career that he’s been perfect from the floor with eight or more field goals.

Another close game, but another close loss

Oklahoma City looked to have turned the corner at the end of last week and through the weekend when they were finally able to pull out two close wins over the Pelicans by a combined eight points.

The Thunder led Indianapolis 50-49 at the half and were within a point of the Pacers five different times throughout the fourth quarter without being able to tie the game or pull ahead.

Eight of the Thunder’s 12 losses this year have come by seven points or less.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to struggle 

Although Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 points in the loss to the Pacers, he shot only 7-of-19 from the floor.

That comes on the heels of poor shooting performances against the Pelicans where he shot a combined 9-of-30 in two wins over New Orleans.

SGA’s hot start has cooled off considerably, though it is certainly too soon to call it a sophomore slump.

Oklahoma City drops close contest to Pacers 107-100

The Thunder were led by Steven Adams with 20 points but OKC failed to win three consecutive games for the first time this season.

It was a much closer game than the one that the two teams played in November, but the result between the Pacers and Oklahoma City was ultimately the same.

The Thunder dropped their home contest to Indianapolis 107-100 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday night, failing in their bid for the team’s first three-game winning streak this season.

As has been the case for many of their games this season, the Thunder were close to a win but couldn’t pull it out at the end.

A three-point OKC lead after the first quarter lead was a 50-49 advantage at the half.

For the second straight game, Oklahoma City played a solid third quarter, although they were outscored 30-28 as the Pacers took a 79-78 lead into the fourth.

The Thunder were within a point five different times in the final frame, but each time Indianapolis answered with a bucket.

Steven Adams led the way for Oklahoma City with 20 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schröder both scored 18 while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 16.

Gallo hit a career-high four 3-pointers in the third quarter alone.

With the loss, the Thunder drop to 8-12 on the season.

Oklahoma City is back in action on Friday when they host the Timberwolves at 7 p.m. CT.