Théo Maledon and Ty Jerome
(Coby Van Loan | OKC Thunder)

Game Recap: Thunder vs. Raptors

By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com

Highlights: OKC vs. TOR

THE BIG PICTURE

Toronto took control of the game early against the Thunder building up a double-digit lead in the first half and again in the third quarter. With each Raptor run, the Thunder responded with a punch of its own to shave the margin down to single digits but wouldn’t be able to keep pace throughout the ball game as Toronto regained its commanding in the final frame and took the 117-98 win. There were several bright spots for the Thunder throughout the night including a pair of 18-point performances from second-year players Théo Maledon and Aleksej Pokuševski. In addition, the Thunder dished out 28 assists on 36 total field goals – the 10th highest assist rate in OKC history. 

MOMENTS FROM THE 48

Game Flow

Toronto took the reins early thanks to the paint production of Raptors forward Pascal Siakam who scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter – 12 of which came in the paint. However, it wasn’t until the second quarter that the Raptors began cashing in on 3-pointers in order to built up its largest lead of the half with 16 points. 

The Thunder responded with an extended 16-5 run to save the deficit down to just single digits and inject some much-needed life and offense back into the game. Ty Jerome sank a pair of transition 3-pointers for the Thunder on back-to-back possessions. Before those Jerome triples, the Thunder had gone 2-of-16 from deep.

Out of the half, the Raptors would once again hit the gas to regain its double-digit lead and while the Thunder threw its fair share of jabs throughout the half, it wouldn’t be enough to overpower Toronto’s offense. 

“Physicality is a choice and I thought we left something to be desired there to start the game,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “I thought we got that into the game and got ourselves back especially late in the second quarter. We stood up a little bit, which was good, but good lesson for us because that's a team you can't really counter punch that team especially with how well they're playing.”

Théo and Poku Lead in Scoring 

The Thunder’s second year players Aleksej Pokuševski and Théo Maledon combined for 36 points and led the Thunder in scoring with 18 each. Both players have logged significant stretches of games with the Oklahoma City Blue this season and have utilized the opportunity to soak up lessons and experience to apply on the floor with the Thunder. 

Pokuševski scored his 18 points on an efficient 7-for-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from the field. Defensively, the 7-foot forward also logged four steals – a new career-high.

“It was really encouraging to see him you know play at the pace he played at tonight,” said Daigneault. “He shot the ball confidently, I thought he took the right ones and benefited from that.”

Maledon got off to a slower offensive start but turned the corner in the second half as he also amplified the tempo of his game. In the fourth quarter, Maledon logged 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from the 3-point line. 

“The G League minutes and all the invisible work, the non-game that these guys put in is critical and there's a cumulative effect of that,” said Daigneault. “You just got to stay with it and those guys have stayed with it. They've hit the process well.”

Kenny Hustle Impact

Another major impact player for the Thunder off the bench was wing Kenrich Williams who logged six points but finished with a season high 12 rebounds and six assists. The effort built off of Kenrich’s performance on Monday where he dished out a season-high tying five assists against the Warriors. 

“K-Rich is a really good passer. I don't think a lot of people know that about him,” said Thunder rookie Josh Giddey. “He does a good job of finding guys and he always makes the right play. You never see K Rich take many bad shots or turn the ball over too much. He's a really high-IQ player. Guys cut, and K-Rich finds them.”

Ball Movement and Assists

The Thunder finished the night with 28 assists on 36 made field goals which marked a new season high assist rate of 77.8 percent. The effort also marked the 10th highest assist rate in OKC history and as a result, six players finished the game with 13 or more points. 

“I really liked how we attacked they're pretty unique defense,” said Daigneault. “They require you to play with the pass and I thought on a lot of possessions, we used their aggressiveness against them and we generated open looks.”

“I think we really played for one another,” said Maledon. “Really trying to make everyone’s life easier by making sure we get the ball to the open guy. That’s something that was positive tonight that we’ve got to keep going.”

THE LAST WORD

WHAT'S NEXT

The Thunder sets out on its final road trip before the All-Star Break that will take the team through Chicago on Friday, Philadelphia on Saturday and wrap up in New York to play the Knicks on Monday.