Gilgeous-Alexander, Bazley Lead Way in Thunder's Third-Straight Win
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, things are starting to click. The Thunder won by double-digits last night against a playoff team in the West as they knocked off former MVP and the Denver Nuggets 108-94 on Wednesday night.
The Thunder have found plenty of success by moving Darius Bazley to the bench. While some viewed this as a demotion, it’s clear that it has put him in a much better position to succeed.
Oklahoma City played a complete game Wednesday night, as it led from start to finish. When Denver made a comeback effort near the end of the game, the Thunder were able to weather the storm.
Many players looked great for OKC last night, but here are the two that really stood out:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing some of his best basketball lately. The most impressive thing is how he’s doing it without his 3-point shot.
Despite going 0-for-7 from deep, SGA was able to finish with one of his biggest stat lines of the season. The Thunder star ended up with 27 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, recording the second triple-double of his career.
Gilgeous-Alexander continues to improve so many parts of his game and it was evident last night. He also had just one turnover on the night, which makes the assist total that much more impressive.
Darius Bazley
Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports
Bazley struggled to begin the season and has looked lost in a good portion of games. Ever since he’s been moved to the bench, the young forward has found a really nice rhythm over the past three games.
Wednesday night, Bazley finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. He's has shown his ability to be a rim protector the last few games, as his block totals are skyrocketing.
One of his main problems has been committing careless turnovers and having too many bad plays to outweigh the good. Wednesday night, he had zero turnovers and went 7-for-11 from the floor, one of his more efficient performances of the season.
The young Thunder squad is finally figuring it out on the court and it’s fun to watch. The three-game win streak has a chance to be extended Thursday night as OKC faces Phoenix on the road on the second night of a back-to-back.
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