Oklahoma City's 'Big Three' Powered the Thunder to Victory Sunday
Oklahoma City is firing on all cylinders and the league is starting to take notice. Sunday night was no different.
The Thunder, still without two starting front court members, marched into Brooklyn and knocked off the Nets 112-102 in regulation. Brooklyn was short handed too, without Kevin Durant, but the Thunder win marks the third victory over the Eastern conference’s top three seeds in the last two weeks. Before the Nets, the Thunder also handled Boston and Philadelphia rather comfortably.
Since the New Year started, Oklahoma City is 6-2. The ream has had to find different ways to win, which is been the most encouraging part of the streak — it doesn’t seem like a fluke. Sunday night, the Thunder seemed committed to playing through its stars and locking up defense. For the second straight game, OKC had to fend off a late comeback effort to pull it off too. The late-game minutes given to OKC’s youthful core are invaluable.
Here’s who helped power Oklahoma City to a third straight victory:
Josh Giddey
Giddey’s recent stretch has certainly been eye-opening, but Sunday night’s game felt like we reached a new pinnacle. His progression throughout the season has been evident and undeniable.
Against the Nets, Giddey poured in 28 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and just one turnover. He was a plus-14 in his 37 minutes. His rapid improvement is raising the Thunder’s ceiling both this season and for the future.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA recorded a few uncharacteristic misses in the first half, but still managed to have a strong performance behind getting to the free throw line and excelling in the clutch.
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 28 points and seven rebounds, knocking down 11-of-14 attempts at the free throw line. Letting the offense flow through both SGA and Giddey was too much for Brooklyn to handle.
Lu Dort
Sunday night was one of Dort’s best games of the season. He notched 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He was also tasked with guarding Kyrie Irving, one of the game’s craftiest point guards, and shut him down. Irving shot just 7-of-20 from the floor and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Dort’s impact on the game was undeniable.
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