Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Loss to Indiana
The Indiana Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-111 at the Paycom Center on Tuesday evening.
The loss ended a three-game win streak for OKC that saw Mark Daigneault's team defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies.
In its win over Memphis, the Thunder lost star wing Jalen Williams to a sprained ankle. While the injury doesn't seem extremely serious, the second-year player out of Santa Clara missed Oklahoma City's matchup against the Pacers.
Here are three takeaways from OKC's loss to Indiana.
The Thunder missed Jalen Williams in the fourth quarter
Heading into the final frame against the Pacers, Oklahoma City trailed by seven points.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, Daigneault's squad has been one of the best fourth quarter teams in the NBA. With Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being two of the best closers in the league, OKC usually has a good chance if the game is close heading into the final frame.
Williams ranks ninth in the NBA in fourth quarter scoring amongst players who have appeared in at least 50 games. Averaging 6.9 points in the game's final 12 minutes, Williams trails Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league leader in fourth quarter scoring, by just one point.
With Williams out of the lineup and SGA failing to carry the torch on his own, the Thunder wilted in the fourth quarter and were unable to make up any ground on the Pacers.
Josh Giddey is making a comeback
After a stellar sophomore season in the Modern Frontier, Australian guard Josh Giddey has had a much tougher time finding success in the 2023-24 season.
Last year, Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists at just 20-years-old. This season, however, all the third-year players stats have taken a dip, and he has looked unconfident on the court at times.
Recently, however, Giddey seems to be finding his rhythm again, as the 6-foot-8 guard has scored in double figures in six consecutive games. Against the Pacers, Giddey finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists, also knocking down one of his two 3-point attempts.
While the former No. 6 overall pick still isn't quite back to how solid he performed in 2022-23, he is certainly beginning to find his place in the new-look Thunder offense.
Gordon Hayward is starting to feel more comfortable in his role
At the trade deadline, former Jazz, Celtics and Hornets standout Gordon Hayward was traded to the Thunder in return for Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic.
While Hayward made a very minimal impact to start his career in OKC, the veteran wing seems to be settling into his role with the team. On Tuesday night, Hayward made his first start since arriving in the Modern Frontier, operating as a solid role player.
The 6-foot-7 33-year-old went 3-of-4 from the field against the Pacers, tallying nine points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal in 30 minutes of action. While this may not seem like a big impact, another big wing who can shoot, rebound and play defense is exactly what the Thunder will need in the playoffs, especially a player like Hayward who is much more experienced than most of OKC's roster.
If the trade-deadline addition is able to continue playing like this in Williams' absence and off the bench when Williams returns to the lineup, it will add even more depth to Daigneault's rotation.
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