Tag: Tre Mann

Player grades: Thunder fail to close out the Hornets in 121-113 loss

Player grades for the Thunder’s 121-113 loss to the Hornets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t able to collect another close win as they fall to the Charlotte Hornets, 121-113.

The Hornets — who entered the night with the second-worst record in the league — were able to improve their record to 10-26 behind an impressive LaMelo Ball performance.

Ball finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. P.J. Washington also added 25 points with 19 of those points coming in the second half. The big man duo of Mason Plumlee and Mark Williams took advantage of the Thunder’s lack of size with a combined 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting at the rim.

The Hornets were able to close the game on an 18-10 run in the final 4:24. The Hornets were able to dish out a season-high 33 assists of their 46 made shots.

Meanwhile, the Thunder had an opposite night as they had a season-low 15 assists on 42 made shots.

The Thunder also shot poorly from outside, going 11-of-36 (30.6 percent) from three. It was an ugly offensive showing for the Thunder against the 27th-ranked defensive rating team.

Certainly not the type of performance that builds confidence among the fanbase for a potential Play-In bid. The Thunder entered the night with a chance to be 1.5 games behind the 10th seed, instead a loss to a lousy Hornets squad pushes them back 2.5 games of the Golden State Warriors.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Fourth quarter leads Thunder to 130-114 win over Spurs

Player grades for the Thunder’s 130-114 win over the Spurs on Tuesday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder used a huge fourth-quarter advantage (35-21) to win handily against the San Antonio Spurs, 130-114.

The 16-point final margin of victory is a little deceiving. It was a two-point game to begin the fourth quarter. The non-SGA lineup expanded that into a 12-point lead by the time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander re-entered at the six-minute mark.

Gilgeous-Alexander was afforded the luxury of their lead growing despite him sitting on the bench because it was one of the more well-rounded team efforts of the season for the Thunder.

Of the 11 players who checked into the game, five scored at least 10 points and all 11 scored at least three points. The Thunder also scored a season-high 68 bench points.

The Thunder were hot from outside. They shot 13-of-24 (54.2%) from 3. A significant free-throw advantage also favored the Thunder, who went 25-of-31 (80.6%) from the line while the Spurs went 12-of-14 (85.7%).

Gilgeous-Alexander almost single-handedly outshot the Spurs from the free-throw line, 11 attempts to 14 attempts.

The Thunder finished their seven-game homestand, the longest of their season, with an easy win. They went 4-3 during the two-week stretch.

This game really showed how more advanced the Thunder are in their rebuild compared to the Spurs. Which makes sense! While both teams are three drafts into their respective rebuilds, the Thunder have had better lottery luck with their picks. In the last three drafts, the best pick the Spurs have had was No. 9. The Thunder have had two picks better than that in just the last two drafts.

The biggest concern following this impressive win involves Aleksej Pokusevski, who suffered a lower-leg injury less than two minutes into the game. Pokusevski immediately called for a sub and needed help to walk back into the locker room.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said there will be a further update in the coming days on Pokusevski.

Pokusevski, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Monday, is in the midst of his best season. In 31 games, Pokusevski is averaging 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and two assists. Any serious injury could derail Pokusevski’s chance of a contract extension this summer, depending on the severity of the injury.

Hopefully for Pokusevski’s sake and the Thunder’s sake, the injury is nothing serious.

With that sad note aside, let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

OKC Blue: Tre Mann scores 40 points, named to All-Showcase Team in 132-131 loss to G League’s Mad Ants

I think it’s safe to say Tre Mann found a rhythm in his two-day stay in Las Vegas.

It looks like the two-game getaway from the NBA did Tre Mann good.

While the OKC Blue lost to the G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants in a heartbreaker, 132-131, on Thursday, Mann continued to dominate.

In 39 minutes, Mann scored 40 points on 13-of-26 shooting and 6-of-14 shooting from 3. In his two G League games, Mann scored 75 points on 25-of-44 (56.8%) shooting and went 13-of-24 (54.2%) from 3.

The two games were so impressive that Mann was named to the All-Showcase team. Mann returned to OKC on Friday and is available to play against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Here are some of the other notable performances from the game:

  • Robert Woodard II: 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds
  • DJ Wilson: 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists
  • Scotty Hopson: 21 points
  • Terry Taylor: 46 points on 20-of-24 shooting, 14 rebounds
  • Trevelin Queen: 26 points, 10 assists

Here are the highlights of the game:

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OKC Blue: Tre Mann’s 35 points highlight 133-102 win over G League’s Magic

It was the Tre Mann show in Las Vegas.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder were busy winning their second consecutive game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Tre Mann was killing it in Las Vegas.

The OKC Blue defeated the Lakeland Magic, 133-102.

Here are some of the more notable performances from the game:

  • Tre Mann: 35 points on 12-of-20, 7-of-11 from 3
  • Jaylin Williams: 13 points, six rebounds
  • Adam Mokoka: 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting
  • DJ Wilson: 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists
  • Abdul Gaddy: 11 assists
  • Zavier Simpson: 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, five assists, seven steals
  • Jay Scrubb: 20 points, six rebounds

Here are the full highlights of the game:

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OKC Thunder news: Tre Mann, Jaylin Williams assigned to G League’s OKC Blue

The news should not be surprising for Thunder fans.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday that sophomore guard Tre Mann and rookie forward Jaylin Williams were assigned to the G League’s OKC Blue.

Neither move comes as a surprise. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault revealed the moves following their win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Daigneault said the decision to assign Mann to the G League was a pre-planned move and was not made on a whim. The timing is odd though. Mann had his best game in a while against the Grizzlies. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 2-of-5 from 3 in 18 minutes.

When asked about the G League assignment, Mann said he’s embracing it as an opportunity to gain confidence and not viewing it as a demotion.

“Looking forward to it. Ready to go with the Blue,” Mann said. “Just grow. That’s my mindset going down there.”

Mann has struggled in his second season, regressing to 8.3 points on 38.1% shooting. From 3, Mann is shooting 28.8% on 4.6 attempts.

A quick reset with the Blue could do wonders for Mann as it gives him a platform to play more freely and not worry about minimizing risks.

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Player grades: Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe lead Thunder to surprise 115-109 win over Grizzlies

Player grades for the Thunder’s 115-109 win over the Grizzlies.

The NBA can be a funny sport sometimes.

Heading into Saturday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies, circumstances surrounding the game made it feel like a safe bet to assume the shorthanded Thunder would get blown out.

The Thunder entered the game with a five-game losing streak with an even longer injury report. By the time the game started, the Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Darius Bazley and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

That’s three regular starters from most starting lineups this season in Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and Robinson-Earl along with two rotational pieces in Bazley and Dieng. To decipher even further, the Thunder were without their best two players in Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey.

Having that many bodies out would make it nearly impossible to beat most teams. The fact that it was against the first-place Grizzlies who were on a seven-game winning streak made it even more difficult.

On paper, the Grizzlies should’ve made easy work of the Thunder. Instead, the complete opposite transpired.

The Thunder were able to grow a lead as large as 24 points behind their starting backcourt of Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe, who combined for 47 points on 15-of-26 shooting. By the end of the second quarter, the Thunder had their biggest lead at the half in their season at 21 points.

The Grizzlies — who were without Ja Morant in the second half due to two controversial technical fouls resulting in his ejection — made it interesting in the second half, winning the final two quarters by a score of 66-51. But the Thunder were able to build enough cushion with their first half lead to still win by six points.

Just like that, the injury-plagued Thunder surprised the NBA world with a blowout win against a Grizzlies team that blew out the Milwaukee Bucks in their previous game.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades from the Thunder’s 115-109 win over the Grizzlies.

Player grades: Jalen Williams’ career night leads Thunder to 20-point comeback 119-111 win over Spurs

Jalen Williams was the star of the game for the Thunder in their 119-111 win over the Spurs.

It looked like the Oklahoma City Thunder were on their way to arguably their most disappointing losses of the season when they trailed the short-handed and rebuilding San Antonio Spurs by 20 points in the third quarter.

The Spurs entered the game on an eight-game losing streak and a 1-13 record in their last 14 games. With the long list of injuries they had, this should’ve been an easy win for the Thunder.

Instead, the Thunder — missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — struggled to contain the Spurs, giving up 77 first-half points to the 29th-ranked offensive rating team in the league.

The second half was a different story though. The Thunder held the Spurs to 34 points — a season-low allowed by the Thunder this season. The Spurs went from shooting 27-of-42 (64.3%) from the field in the first half to 14-of-50 (28%) in the second half.

Such a stark contrast in offense gave the Thunder plenty of time to mount a comeback and that’s exactly what happened as they outscored the Spurs 59-34 in the second half.

Rookie wing Jalen Williams led the way. He played the best game of his young career in terms of points and timely baskets. Williams did his best SGA impersonation in the second half as the go-to scorer. Lu Dort and Josh Giddey also chipped in.

For the Spurs, Devin Vassell finished with 25 points and outside marksmen Keldon Johnson, who entered the game shooting 36.5% from outside on 8.4 attempts, was held to 19 points on 5-of-22 shooting and 4-of-13 shooting from outside.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades from this 119-111 win over the Spurs.

Player grades: SGA scores 39 points, officiating a hot talking point in 136-132 2OT loss to Bucks

The Thunder failed to win their 2OT battle against the short-handed Bucks in a game that saw SGA get MVP chants and the referees get booed.

By the end of the second overtime, the story of the Milwaukee-Oklahoma City game no longer centered on how awesome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is or how Jevon Carter suddenly looked like one of the best players in the world. Instead, it centered on the OKC home crowd expressing its anger by ruthlessly booing the officiating.

A hot Thunder crowd’s flair slowly sizzled out with multiple referee stoppages and culminated at the end of the game when the fans booed the officiating.

The Thunder eventually lost to the Bucks in double overtime, 136-132.

With the Bucks missing its star trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, they could not simply rely on elite talent to coast through a win.

Instead, as was shown early on in the game, the Bucks relied on a physical brand of basketball. The message was sent when a Gilgeous-Alexander drive to the basket resulted in him on the ground and wincing in pain with Grayson Allen. Eventually, both players resumed playing without any problems, but the message was delivered.

Despite the Bucks missing their best players, they were not going to let a hot and young Thunder squad hand them their second loss of the season without a fight.

The ensuing result was a 58-minute long thriller between a championship contender and a rebuilding team. While it was not the result the Thunder was looking for, there were definitely encouraging signs throughout the three-plus hour long game.

The Bucks were led by Carter, who scored a career-high 36 points and 12 assists. Allen contributed with 18 points. Rookie MarJon Beauchamp scored a career-high 19 points in the win. Brook Lopez collected a 24-point and 13-rebound double-double and hit the game-tying free-throw in the first overtime on a questionable foul call.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives MVP chants in 116-108 win over Magic

The Thunder are now 4-3 in the season after starting 0-3.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to add momentum as they were able to collect their fourth win in a row against a young and big Orlando Magic squad, 116-108.

The story of the game was once again Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as the 24-year-old added another 30-point performance to his resume this season. In this game, he finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He also shot 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.

For the Magic, No.1 pick Paolo Banchero finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. led the way with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 12 rebounds. Franz Wagner finished with 20 points but it came on 8-of-18 shooting.

The Magic had an unusually tall starting lineup and were able to benefit from it with a 13-rebound advantage. The shortest Magic starter was Terrance Ross at 6-foot-6 while the tallest Thunder starter was Jeremiah Robinson-Earl at 6-foot-9.

Despite the height disadvantage, the Thunder were surprisingly able to win the battle for points in the paint by 20 as they scored 50 points inside while the Magic scored just 30 points.

Let’s take a look at four Thunder player grades from this win.

Player grades: Lu Dort, Aleksej Pokusevski turn in best performances in 118-110 win over Clippers

The Thunder (2-3) and Clippers (2-3) now have the same record early on in the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to sweep the LA Clippers in a two-game stand on Thursday with a 118-110 win.

The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Tre Mann led the way for the Thunder. The trio combined for 59 of the team’s 118 points.

For the Clippers, the return of Paul George was not enough to avenge their previous loss to the Thunder as he finished with just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

The Thunder were also able to win despite not attempting a single free throw until the fourth quarter — something that’s never happened in franchise history. In the end, the Clippers attempted 10 more free throws tonight as the referees allowed the teams to play against each other.

The Thunder were able to win this game with an advantage in shot attempts once again as they outshot the Clippers by 13 more attempts.

A great night from outside helped push the Thunder to their second win of the season as they shot 17-of-38 (44.7 percent) from deep.

Let’s take a look at four Thunder player grades.