Top Performers: Gilgeous-Alexander Drops 35, Giddey Earns Another Triple-Double in Win over Brooklyn Nets

Tuesday night’s game was a tale of two halves as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back in the second half to trounce the Brooklyn Nets at the Paycom Center, 121-107. After finding themselves down by 16 at one point in the second quarter, the Thunder flipped the proverbial switch in the third quarter, scoring 38 points while holding the Nets to just 20 to spark the comeback victory.

Oklahoma City’s starting lineup carried the vast majority of the load as they scored 104 points, corralled 46 rebounds, dished out 20 assists, and stole the ball away eight times. The bench, led by Isaiah Joe and Lindy Waters’ combined 44 minutes, chipped in just 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal on the night.

Remarkably, the victory shifts the Western Conference playoff picture significantly as it moves the Thunder into a three-way tie, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, for the eighth seed. Oklahoma City now sits just one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves who hold the seventh seed.

Here are the top performers in Tuesday night’s win.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

It’s no surprise that Gilgeous-Alexander earns the number one spot as his game-high 35 points and 10 made free throws were the main catalyst for the Thunder’s offensive attack, per usual. The All-Star guard also secured seven rebounds, one steal, and handed out four assists. What makes his performance even more impressive is the fact that Mikal Bridges, named to the NBA’s All-Defense team last season, was guarding him for most of the game.

Jalen Williams

With 1:42 left on the game clock, Bridges faked left and tried to drive right but ran into Jalen Williams who used his 7-foot-3 wingspan to poke the ball away before proceeding to score a transition layup – the cherry on top after a hard-fought comeback. That play also put a bow on Williams’ incredibly efficient night as he scored 23 points on just 10 shots, captured 10 rebounds, produced three assists and two steals while never turning the ball over.

Josh Giddey

Playing second fiddle to Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey pieced together his eighth career triple-double after posting 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists with just one turnover. Although he didn’t shoot the ball well, going just 7-of-19 from the floor and missing his only free throw attempt, his decision-making made up for his inefficiency, especially in the midst of the Thunder’s third quarter comeback push that saw him log six assists, five of them leading to 3-pointers.

Luguentz Dort

Remember Giddey’s five assists leading to five made 3-pointers in the third quarter? Well, Dort was his main target. After experiencing ups and downs from beyond the arc this season, Dort caught fire, hitting 6-of-11 of his shots from beyond the arc, with five of his made 3-pointers coming in the middle of that oh-so vital third quarter. Dort finished the night as the Thunder’s second-leading scorer, going for 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

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