Josh Giddey Shines, Leads Top Performers in Sacramento

The Thunder couldn’t notch its fourth consecutive victory Friday night, come up just short against the Kings in Sacramento.

The Thunder were plagued by turnovers and missed shots all night long, as they got a good amount of clean looks. OKC finished the game shooting 9-for-30 from behind the 3-point line and allowed the Kings to come away with 13 steals.

Oklahoma City went into halftime trailing by seven points, 64-57, but the Thunder was able to cut into that deficit right away. With 9:11 left, Josh Giddey hit a 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 66-65 lead.

That lead was the closest the Thunder ever got to victory as the Kings closed out the fourth quarter behind Harrison Barnes’ 24 points and nine rebounds.

Here's OKC's top performers from Saturday:

Aleksej Pokusevski

Poku’s return to the Thunder from the Blue went as good as possible, as the second-year forward recorded 12 points and nine rebounds.

The 7-footer played 26 minutes, which is his most game time in over a month. Pokusevski also limited his turnovers with just one and still made solid passes, recording three assists.

His ability to hit open threes really helped the Thunder stay in the game Saturday night. Poku was 2-for-5 from deep and 5-for-9 overall. His performance tonight was a positive sign in his development.

that's 🅿️@aleksejpokusevs | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/8LnFgoKIFZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 6, 2022

Josh Giddey

Giddey had a monster stat line tonight, which included his career high 24 points. He also added eight assists and four rebounds.

The rookie consistently got out in transition and ran the fast break to perfection. He scored many of his points at the rim and finished at a high clip.

coastin' 🌊@joshgiddey | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/ibfZggSAgn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 6, 2022

Giddey also drilled a huge triple to give the Thunder a rare lead on the night at 66-65 with 9:11 left in the third quarter.

The kid doin' what he does best. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp | @joshgiddey pic.twitter.com/4HN26MiOSl
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 6, 2022

The Australian has a great chance to develop his game with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined. As the lead guard, Giddey took 19 shots on the night, making 10. As he continues to get more comfortable, the more shots he will continue to take.

Darius Bazley

Bazley continued his stretch of solid play as his role increased substantially with key starters out.

He netted 18 points and seven rebounds on the night while shooting 6-of-14. He was also impressive on the defensive end where he recorded three steals.

Bazley’s role as a slasher suits him well, as he’s an athletic forward that can finish at the rim. He’s at his best when he’s not trying to force isolation situations, and he’s been at his best in the Thunder’s last few games.

The 6-foot-8 forward attacked the basket well and took a lot of shots near the rim. He had some very positive plays for Oklahoma City.

BAZE AND ONE 😤 pic.twitter.com/l9xz9gw4qL
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 6, 2022

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