Blistering Start Leads to Thunder Win

Box Score: OKC 153, HOU 121

By Nick Gallo and Paris Lawson | okcthunder.com

Young teams have a higher variance than veteran ones, and this week’s baseball series between the Thunder and the Rockets is a perfect example of that volatility that is to be expected. As the second youngest team in NBA history, the Thunder went into Houston on Wednesday and settled into the game, with the Rockets the team that was more ready to play from the jump. The result was an uphill climb and ultimately a loss. 

The Thunder got a second crack at it again on Saturday as the Rockets flew into OKC, and from the very outset, Houston was on its heels. On offense there was precision and tempo. On defense, physicality and focus, as the Thunder checked the boxes on all the areas that were issues on Wednesday. After giving up 24 offensive rebounds to the Rockets earlier in the week, the Thunder out-rebounded the league’s best rebounding team by eight and held them to just nine offensive boards on Saturday. 

Newly-minted All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set the tone from a leadership and production standpoint as he contributed 42 of OKC’s 153 points, which was a Thunder record for total team points scored. 

Nick: In his first game since being named to his very first All-Star game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure to leave no doubt about his internal drive and intrinsic motivation. Playing with zero sense of entitlement, Gilgeous-Alexander was assertive but controlled, decisive yet aware, and absolutely dominated Houston in the opening five minutes. He scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting to start the game, forcing the Rockets to call timeout at the 7:37 mark of the quarter. As he’s done all year, Gilgeous-Alexander was also active defensively, making all three of his total steals to go with his career-high 20 first quarter points. This was the fifth time in his career Shai has had 20 or more points in any quarter, and for the game, Shai racked up 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting to go with four rebounds and six assists in just 30 minutes. 

Paris: Thunder big man Mike Muscala was inserted into the starting lineup for just the fifth time this season. The veteran immediately made his mark on the game with strong box outs and rebounds defensively and also knocking down 3s offensively. Muscala finished the frame with six points, four rebounds and a deflection. His physicality and shotmaking helped the Thunder set the tone of physicality from the opening minutes of the game. OKC’s big man finished the night with 19 points, six rebounds and a season high five-made 3-pointers all in just 18 minutes. 

Nick: The Thunder’s insistence on ball movement and togetherness to solve problems offensively has been a staple all year long, and even on a night when there were few problems that needed solving offensively, the Thunder leaned on that style of play once again. One sequence in the second quarter was indicative of how the Thunder wants to attack each possession, with gashing drives forcing help to come over, opening up an advantage for the next man to play out of. A kick-out pass came to Tre Mann, who drove middle against a closeout and then dished to Kenrich Williams on the right wing. Williams swung the ball one more time up the sideline to the top of the key to Josh Giddey, who buried the ball-movement 3. The Thunder’s offense hummed, racking up 79 points.

Paris: In OKC’s last meeting with Houston, the Thunder racked up a total of 12 fast break points through all 48 minutes. By the 5:56 mark in the second quarter, the squad had already posted 13 thanks to strong defensive plays and everyone running the floor – including OKC’s big men. In one example, Kenrich Williams snatched a steal from Houston and sent the ball up the floor to Jaylin Williams who laid the ball up with a smooth, patient finger roll over the front of the rim. By the end of the game, OKC outscored the Rockets 27 to 14 in fast break points. 

Paris: The Thunder’s defense not only included forced turnovers and blocks, but more importantly, strong defensive rebounds. OKC’s ability to get out on the break stemmed from its disciplined effort to box out and control the glass after a strong defensive possession. In its last meeting, the Thunder gave up 24 offensive boards to Houston, but by the end of the third quarter the Rockets had only pulled down 6 and finished the night with just nine. A mentality of physicality guided the Thunder from the very first minute of the game on both ends of the floor.

Nick: The Thunder has a variety of players who can step in and score in an instant, and Isaiah Joe has consistently been one of them throughout the year. When he checked into the game in the third quarter, Joe hadn’t scored a point yet, but microwaved some offense for OKC in the blink of an eye. First he hit a step-back 3 at the top of the key that splashed through the net, then a possession later he scored on an old-school three-point play with a steal, transition run out and finger roll finish plus the foul. A few minutes later, Joe spaced out to the wing and awaited a pass from Gilgeous-Alexander, then buried the shot. Joe scored nine of his 18 points in the game in the third quarter, giving him at least two 3s in 22 of his last 32 games and aiding a Thunder effort on Saturday that featured 21 total made 3s. 

Nick: Rookie Ousmane Dieng demonstrated the type of next play mentality that the Thunder is focused on fostering in every one of its players. Dieng turned the ball over, but hustled back into transition after making the errant pass and got into position. He bodied up tenacious Rockets forward Tari Eason with physicality, standing his ground in the middle of the lane. Dieng’s presence forced a turnover in response, so the end result was no harm done. Still working his way back from a wrist injury, Dieng chipped in nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes on the night. 

Paris: In addition to its strong physicality and rebounding efforts, the Thunder also maintained a strong offensive performance throughout the night to the tune of a season-high 21 made 3-pointers. The fourth quarter featured six triples led by Isaiah Joe who sank three of his five total 3-pointers during the stretch. Darius Bazley and Jaylin Williams also added to the tally – stretching out behind the arc while Houston’s big men stayed put in the lane. 

"We're a team that is growing in confidence and our habits are growing. A lot of things are moving in the right direction… We declared ourselves to ourselves tonight. It was a team that banded together and decided to play the way they did." –Coach Daigneault 

“We played fast. We played in the paint and we played together and when we do so, we're the best version of ourselves.” –Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

“We definitely had a lot of energy coming into this game. We had a purpose coming into this game. We executed our game plan pretty well, but I think it all started with the way that we mentally prepared for this game.” –Isaiah Joe

Thunder sets out on a three-game West Coast road trip that begins in Golden State on Monday, then continues in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Tuesday before a Friday night battle against a Northwest Division foe, the Portland Trail Blazers.

By Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder