Top Performers: Thunder Backcourt Headlines Vengeful Victory
Three weeks removed from a record-setting 73-point loss, the Oklahoma City Thunder got its revenge against the Memphis Grizzlies – taking a 102-99 nail biter on the road.
For the Thunder, Monday evening marked another double-digit comeback as after trailing by 16 in the second quarter, Mark Daigneault’s troop overcame the deficit for their sixth 15-point comeback of the season, good for the most occurrences league-wide.
Adversity brought the best out of the Thunder Monday evening, as with the win, they marked their third back-to-back patch of the season.
Here were the top performers from Monday’s matchup:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked calm and collected during the stretch of Monday's thriller.
Justin Ford / USA Today
GIlgeous-Alexander kept a low profile through three quarters in Memphis, but when the lights brightened – the 23-year-old took center stage.
Heading into the two-minute warning, Oklahoma City found themselves down 93-92, then SGA happened. With the game on the line, Gilgeous-Alexander fused together a trio of drives to yield a layup, a dunk, and two foul shots down the stretch to cap a game-sealing 10-6 closing run.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s full 37-minute plate saw the guard tally 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while recording 16 of his points in the second half. The former Wildcat failed to convert on all five of his three-point attempts; however, with Ja Morant, his matchup, fresh off a 12-game hiatus, he attacked the cup at will for eight trips to the line – canning seven.
Monday marked SGA’s third-consecutive clutch time breakout. The guard will get a shot to extend his run Wednesday against the Nuggets.
Josh Giddey
After recording a career-high 18 rebounds on Sunday, Josh Giddey added another career-setting stat line against the Grizzlies.
Justin Ford / USA Today
The 19-year-old Aussie fiddled with triple-double territory in his last matchup and Monday evening proved to be no different.
Following a drab first quarter, Giddey posted a three-level showcase to bottle the first half netting 14 points across a pair of layups and a 3-of-4 perimeter output. By the final frame, the guard needed 5 assists and 3 rebounds to reach triple-double status. Despite missing the mark, he still made some personal history.
In Giddey’s run, the guard added a flavorful double-double with 19 points (7-of-19 FG), 5 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists across 30 minutes. Giddey’s passing continues to be wise beyond his years as the guard added another no-look pass to his collection, alongside a plethora of drive-and-dish assists.
Darius Bazley
Darius Bazley sparked vital efficiency for the Thunder during the infancy stages of Monday's contest.
Justin Ford / USA Today
Bazley’s stock hit an all-time low last week when Daigneault and company relegated the forward to a bench role. But, against the Grizzlies, Baze added a kick off the bench.
The Thunder had it’s white flag ready being down 16-2 to open play; however, the 21-year-old brought some much-needed energy to the pack. In Bazley's first-quarter of play, the forward played the role of aggressor by posting five-consecutive points for a single-digit game, and adding a pair of rejections.
Baze’s final product saw the sixth-man log 10 points (4-of-7 FG), 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 23 minutes. Though Bazley had moments of serious tunnel vision, resulting in four turnovers during play, the forward’s effort in the early stages transformed a then lackadaisical Thunder group into a roster scavenging for any means of production.
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