Oklahoma City's Core Excels in Tough Loss Against New Orleans

Oklahoma City dropped a crucial down-to-the-wire game at home against the injury riddled Pelicans on Tuesday night. Isaiah Joe’s fadeaway 3-pointer just missed the mark and New Orleans stole a 103-100 win.

It seems like every time Oklahoma City has a chance to breakthrough and rise above .500, the team drops a winnable game. With CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson both absent from the lineup, the Pelicans offense was the Brandon Ingram show. The Thunder simply had no answer. He dropped 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting, and drilled big shot after big shot to bury OKC.

Despite taking 16 more shots than New Orleans, Oklahoma City scored just 100 points on 42.2% shooting, thanks in part to the Pelicans’ stout defense. New Orleans, on the other hand, finished the night shooting 52.7% from the floor.

Here’s who led the Thunder down the stretch in a critical Western conference battle:

Jalen Williams

Williams has been a pleasant surprise for the Thunder this season, and he just keeps getting better. At times on Monday night, he seemed like the top offensive option on the floor for Oklahoma City.

The star rookie finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes of game action. He shot 9-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Williams also recorded a pair of steals, continuing his strong play on the defensive end.

Josh Giddey

The point guard struggled to find his rhythm, but was huge across the final stretch. He couldn’t quite get his 3-point shot to drop, going 0-for-2 from distance, but he still managed to net 17 points. He added seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes of action. Giddey nailed timely floaters and layups down the stretch to give the Thunder a chance at the end.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander suffered a rare off-night from the floor, but still found a way to make an impact. The All Star guard finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on the night. Despite shooting just 8-of-21 from the floor, SGA knocked down 8-of-9 from the free throw line.

Isaiah Joe

Joe provided the Thunder with a much needed offensive lift all night long, adding 16 points off the bench. He shot 6-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-11 from 3-point land, though two of the misses came on the final shot of the game fading away. He’s now shooting 45.4% from behind the line this season and has played a key part in raising the Thunder’s 3-point percentage as a team.

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