Gilgeous-Alexander shines, Thunder dominate Nets
Oklahoma City ended its five game losing streak on Thursday night as the Thunder took down the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 130-109 on the road.
It was the most complete game the Thunder have played in nearly two weeks as they had their foot on the gas from start to finish.
For the seventh time in Thunder history, they made more than 20 threes on the night. Oklahoma City was unconscious from long range, going 20-of-45 from behind the 3-point line.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with his second consecutive 30-point performance. The Kentucky product was one assist shy of a triple-double as he added nine assists and ten rebounds to go along with his 33 points. He led the Thunder as a plus-30 on the court.
OKC’s duo of Lu Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander took over the game in the first two quarters. Dort was finally able to find his 3-point shot, drilling four triples and pouring in 19 first half points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had his career high for first half points exploding for 21 in 18 minutes. The Thunder star also contributed seven assists, displaying his potential as a passer too. After scoring 32 points against Washington, he seems to have finally found his groove.
In the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander continued his scoring surge adding seven more points. The Thunder also got solid production out of Darius Bazley who has been impressive in his role off the bench. Bazley had a huge 3-pointer to extend OKC’s lead and a buzzer beating floater to end the quarter.
OKC fought off a late fourth quarter run by the Nets to ice the game. While the defense was keyed in on Gilgeous-Alexander, he made the right pass time after time to help OKC close out the game. Mike Muscala and Josh Giddey both added huge triples to seal the win.
Lu Dort was just as impressive as SGA, adding 27 points of his own. The lockdown defender drilled six threes total on the night while shooting 60% from deep.
Bazley and Muscala paced the bench tonight, contributing a combined 30 points. Bazley recorded an impressive 16 points and five rebounds as he's really finding his groove off the bench. Muscala was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range with 14 points.
Thunder rookie Tre Mann also turned in another positive performance as he filled the stat-sheet. The Florida product added seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Thunder return home after a two-game road trip on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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