One Shot From Revenge: Trio of Thunder Members Headline Stunning Loss
The Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves on the flipside of a miracle Wednesday evening as a 61-foot heave from Devonte’ Graham pushed the New Orleans Pelicans to victory 113-110.
For the Thunder, a sense of distress is justified given the game circumstances. Without starter Lu Dort, finding themselves in a back-and-forth which yielded 15 lead changes to lose at the hands of a desperation shot comes with some downs.
However; even with New Orleans’ storybook ending, the contest charged a band of Cinderella stories for the Thunder.
Here are the top performers from Sunday’s contest:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found his stride from deep Wednesday evening, converting on 4-of-8 triples.
Alonzo Adams / USA Today
This game looked to be headed to overtime.
With the Thunder down 110-107 wielding just 4.5 seconds of room, they were in search of a miracle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered just that. Following a contested inbound at the left wing, SGA took one dribble to his right, side-stepped, and heaved a 30-foot jumper at the top-of-the-key – nothing but net.
SGA’s game-tying answer was overshadowed a play later by Graham’s aforementioned game winner. But, as for the 23-year-old’s cumulative performance, he had himself a ball game.
Gilgeous-Alexander posted a subtle first half Wednesday with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but he found his groove when needed. In the second half, he took his play to new heights, tacking on 23 points across a 6-of-15 clip, including a three made triples on six attempts.
With SGA’s third-level unlocked, the former Wildcat flourished from all zones to place 33 points and 5 rebounds across 37 minutes. In his time shooting the ball, the guard ended the evening 10-of-25 while probing the Pelicans defense for nine foul shots – drilling all nine tries.
As a horribly kept secret, Gilgeous-Alexander has been nothing but a star for the Thunder this season, and Wednesday proved to be no different. SGA’s ability to adapt during play held Oklahoma City in distance as the guard transfigured his game for eight foul shots in the second half (only one in the first half), while reaching into his bag of tricks late.
Kenrich Williams
In his fourth game versus his former team, Kenrich Williams ignited on both sides of the ball.
Alonzo Adams / USA Today
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Kenrich Williams’ plate came one 61-footer away from the Pelicans’ table.
Since the Pelicans shipped Williams to the Thunder prior to last season, the 26-year-old has let off the gas when playing his former franchise – logging averages of 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists across 10.3 minutes in three prior appearances against the Pels.
Williams set a new trend on Wednesday, surpassing his previous point-high (4) versus the Pels after five minutes of play, breaching double-digits by halftime with 11 points across 4-of-5 shooting.
The Pelicans caught ablaze in the absence of Williams, clawing out a 24-14 nine-minute run at the onset of the second half. In the final three minutes of the frame, the Thunder posted a 17-10 resurging run, iced by a Williams corner three in the closing seconds of the frame.
By conclusion of play, Williams had tallied 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 rebounds across 26 minutes while shooting 5-of-6 from downtown – tying his career-high.
Williams’ second-unit leadership tapped into the starting group following Tre Mann’s sixth foul in the fourth, outsourcing ample production when needed off the catch-and-shoot, operating in the midrange, and defending down the stretch.
The veteran’s all-around presence silently held the Thunder together throughout the contest, as without his reliable play on sides – the game wouldn’t have devolved to a pair of prayers.
Mike Muscala
Mike Muscala has become a consistent scoring option within the Thunder's offense.
Alonzo Adams / USA Today
They don’t call him Money Maker Mike for nothing. At least, that’s what people should call him following Wednesday evening.
Mike Muscala has been cashing out from all levels during the Thunder’s latest patch, but this gig against the Pelicans marks his top scoring effort in over a month. Across 14 minutes, Muscala managed to accrue 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, canned 2-of-4 threes, and hauled in 5 rebounds.
For the Moose, Wednesday marked the third occurrence this season he’s placed more points than minutes in a game.
The big man's shot-making ability had been displayed during the second frame, as the center a catch-and-shoot three and a post fadeaway in what iced the cake on a 12-4 Thunder run, garnering the group a 12-point lead.
Fast forward to the final period, Muscala is presented with a one-possession contest, he swings the court in OKC’s favor. In a span of three minutes, the Moose churned out nine-consecutive points for the Thunder, drilling a three before being fouled on a pair of right-winged triples – putting the big up for six foul tries, burying all of his attempts.
Muscala’s latest outing proved to be another uber-efficient display from the floor, though, it will be up to coaching as to whether it results in a minute uptick leading into Saturday’s contest
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