The games that the Oklahoma City Thunder win won’t typically be because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes off for 35 points. More often than not, it’ll be because a second or third player plays well enough offensively to complement the star’s talents.
On Sunday, Oklahoma City’s third win of the season, it was veteran big Mike Muscala who provided that spark.
Muscala scored 20 points in 14 minutes of play, and his outburst couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Thunder had fallen behind the San Antonio Spurs by 15 points at the midway point through the second quarter when Muscala got to the line. After missing his first free throw, he made his second. He got back to the line two possessions later and made both. A minute and a half later, he made a 3. Then he made another. Then he made another. Those three 3s came in consecutive possessions.
At that point, he had 13 Thunder points in a row and 14 of the team’s last 15. It helped the team cut the deficit to 10 at the half.
He finished the game with a team-high 20 points on 5-for-6 shooting with three 3s, but his impact when beyond the scoring. Muscala’s defense was good. He had a couple very strong possessions in which he made life difficult or forced a turnover. He was in place for a couple key rebounds, including the one that essentially iced the game after Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV missed a 3 with about five seconds left that would have tied the game.
Muscala is playing the clutch, late-game minutes for the Thunder for a reason. Despite being less of a priority this past offseason than which young players the team could acquire, he has been playing very good basketball and has been one of OKC’s best players.
you're gonna need a bigger boat 🦈#MikeMuscala | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/OIlbwarP7C
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2021
In this 99-94 victory, fittingly topped off by Muscala’s free throw — he was 7-for-9 overall from the stripe on Sunday — the veteran was the best Thunder player on the court.
He receives an A+ grade. Here are other grades from the Thunder’s performance: