Top Performers: Jalen Williams Ignites Versus Spurs

In last night’s 118-112 victory over the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder fought back from an early deficit and showed toughness and poise in their final preseason game.

Although the Thunder lost the battle on the glass, grabbing just 39 boards to the Spurs’ 53, they were superior at taking care of the ball, committing only 12 turnovers on the night.

Both teams moved the ball well, though. The Spurs finished the game with 23 assists, just one away from the Thunder’s 24. Veteran center Jakob Poeltl and sophomore guard Josh Primo combined for nine Spurs' dimes while Josh Giddey and Tre Mann were responsible for 12 for Oklahoma City.

Despite shooting just 10-for-34 from deep, the team still finished with a field goal percentage of 46% thanks to some excellent finishing and fastbreak opportunities. The Spurs shot 47% from the field but knocked down just 5-of-26 threes, ultimately limiting their offense.

Here are Oklahoma City’s top performers:

Jalen Williams, Guard

The rookie wing from Santa Clara put together another excellent performance Thursday night at the AT&T center. But he didn’t look like a rookie; he looked like the best player on the floor.

Williams was all over the place on the defensive end of the floor, using his 7-foot-3 wingspan, endless motor, and competitiveness to muck things up. On several plays, he was able to cover for a botched rotation or utilize his length to challenge passing lanes.

Matched up with the Spurs’ Devin Vassell for much of the night, Williams’ was able to hold the third-year wing to just 6-of-16 shooting in 28 minutes.

On offense, Williams’ aggressive slashing and off-ball movement generated some whistles and subsequently, opportunities at the charity stripe. He found himself at the free throw line seven times and converted six of those.

Williams sprinted across the preseason finish line, going 7-of-8 from the floor for 21 points, one rebound, and two assists in 31 minutes of play.

Josh Giddey, Guard

Sophomore point guard Josh Giddey showed up and showed out against the San Antonio Spurs last night.

While his defense left something to be desired, his offense more than made up for it. The 6-foot-8 playmaker picked apart the Spurs’ defense over and over again, per usual, setting up his teammates for success all over the floor with crisp, and sometimes blistering, passes.

Giddey also shot the ball extremely well and even opened up the game by knocking down a deep 3-pointer. That seemed to get him going as he was able to convert seven of his 13 shots from the field, including an efficient 2-for-3 from three.

The talented guard from Australia stuffed the stat sheet before finally taking a seat, recording 18 points, six boards, six assists, and two steals in just 25 minutes.

Luguentz Dort, Guard

In his third and final game of the preseason, Dort unfortunately only played 13 minutes due to a quad contusion suffered in the second quarter, presumably when defending opposing point guard, Tre Jones.

But before the injury occurred, the 6-foot-4 fire hydrant sliced up the middle of the Spurs’ defense. Dort was wheeling and dealing down the lane, throwing up, and making some incredible shots near the rim - one was waived off due to a questionable call from the officials.

Although Dort didn’t shoot the ball well from deep, he stayed aggressive and did a great job creating and absorbing contact on his drives, earning six trips to the free-throw line in his short time on the court.

And although he finished with zero assists, the $15M man was excellent in terms of his decision-making. Dort was kicking the ball back out to the perimeter when the defense closed off his drives and kept the offensive engine spinning.

Dort was able to record 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting in just 13 minutes of action.

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