Thunder Rally Together to End Losing Streak Despite Key Absences
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Oklahoma City needed a spark.
The Thunder entered Saturday night losers of their last five games, and it wasn't going to be easy.
Not only were the Thunder playing the talented Grizzlies on Saturday, they’d have to do so without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, two of their best players. To add insult to injury Darius Bazley, Ousmane Dieng and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl also missed the game due to injuries.
All of that ended with OKC as double-digit underdogs against Ja Morant and Memphis.
The Thunder needed players to step up, and that’s what they got. Lu Dort stepped into the main leadership role in place of SGA. Dort ended with 24 points and seven rebounds to lead OKC.
Isaiah Joe had his best game in an OKC uniform scoring 23 points and knocking down five 3-point shots to help OKC to a 115-109 upset win over Memphis.
To help ease the lopsided game in terms of availability Morant was ejected prior to halftime in part to a debated call. He finished with just six points.
Oklahoma City saw five players score in double figures despite missing its MVP candidate along with all 11 players who recorded minutes scored.
However the win didn’t come without struggles, Jalen Williams went 0-for-8 from the field, however others were able to pick up the slack.
After a less than stellar stretch and an extremely limited role Tre Mann found some momentum to help get out of his funk.
The Thunder shot well above their average at 42.2% from beyond the arc Saturday, which sparked more scoring. The points were at a higher value with 40-plus points per game out of their lineup.
OKC was in a rut. They couldn’t find ways to win close games lately. Losing five in a row including a two-point loss on Friday night.
When opportunity looked the bleakest with injuries piling up, what was left of the young, depleted roster took over the game against a true playoff contender, and ended their skid.
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