OKLAHOMA CITY – Well, that was fun.
In easily their most impressive win of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Boston Celtics in an historic display of offense, 150-117.
In what looked like a nearly guaranteed loss after the late scratch of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder not only turned in their best performance of the season — but arguably their best performance in franchise history.
The Thunder set a franchise record for most points in a game (150). They were able to do that in regulation!
The Thunder finished with five players who scored at least 20 points for only the second time in franchise history. The Thunder held a season-high 37-point lead at one point.
The Thunder did all this without their best player and essentially their entire frontcourt! It was hard to believe what was actually happening at Paycom Center. It felt like everything was going perfectly for the Thunder throughout.
The Thunder shot an absurd 58-of-98 (59.2%) from the field and 20-of-40 (50%) from 3. The Thunder finished with 31 assists and did a great job at sharing the wealth. Of the 10 available players, seven scored at least 10 points. No one scored more than 25.
Outside of Darius Bazley, everybody was a positive in the plus-minus department, which indicates the Thunder had control of this game throughout the entire 48 minutes.
The large patches of green among the OKC crowd slowly disappeared as Thunder fans let their excitement be heard in the arena with loud jolts of energy being injected every other possession.
Overall, this was one of the most fun nights in the Mark Daigneault era. That it happened against a title contender in the Celtics — who entered the night with the best net rating — AND without their best player makes it feel surreal.
To celebrate the impressive win, let’s hand out grades for the five 20-point scorers for the Thunder.
Spoiler alert: It’s all A’s.
Josh Giddey: A-plus
With Gilgeous-Alexander out due to a non-COVID-19 illness, Josh Giddey filled in the scoring vacuum.
Giddey finished with a season-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and went 3-of-5 from 3 as he continues to improve his 3-point numbers. The 20-year-old also contributed with five assists and five rebounds.
Giddey was able to orchestrate one of the best offensive performances in Thunder history as he continues to build on his strong sophomore season.
Giddey is now shooting 34% from 3 on three attempts per game this season. A significant upgrade from last season’s numbers of 26.3% on 3.9 attempts.
GIDDEY SLAM 🚨
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/baGQihQZlt
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 4, 2023
Giddey vision at work 👓@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/jaW9eUczU5
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
JOSH GIDDEY IS LOCKED IN. BOSTON TIMEOUT.
The Thunder are up by TWENTY-EIGHT late in the 3rd. 😳@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/OYL8VioypP
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 4, 2023
Continuing to push the pace out front! pic.twitter.com/5XUIqjmu4D
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
Isaiah Joe: A-plus
Man oh man, where to start with Isaiah Joe?
Let’s start at the beginning.
A late training camp addition for OKC after he was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers, Joe has legitimately played himself into a rotation spot with outside shooting and a well-rounded offensive game.
Scrolling through Sixers Twitter, it appears the fan base is experiencing some serious FOMO with Joe’s rise to legit rotation player.
This was highlighted against the Celtics, where Joe finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and went 3-of-7 from three. Joe also contributed with four assists and four rebounds along with the dunk heard around OKC that sent the crowd into crazy mode.
ISAIAH JOE POSTER. WHAT A SHOWING FROM THE OKC THUNDER.@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/kixCAZFdSb
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 4, 2023
Zai attacks the lane to find KRich alone in the corner 🎯 pic.twitter.com/0FX4UdnpsF
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
Tre Mann: A-plus
There’s something about playing the Celtics at home that brings the best out of Tre Mann.
Last season, this matchup provided Mann’s best rookie performance. This season, this matchup provided Mann’s best sophomore performance.
Mann finished with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and went 5-of-8 from three. Mann also contributed with six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Not only did Mann put up stats, he’s also noticeably playing with more confidence as he digs deeper in his bags of move tonight with various highlight plays.
❝Everybody played a big role in it. Everybody got their shots. Everybody played defense…it was a lot of fun.❞@NickAGallo spoke to @tre2mann3 following the Thunder's convincing 150-117 win over the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/ngnVdWPBCw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
Thunder ignite for a 15-2 run! 🔥
Work is the way.
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/2FFNkzy5oU pic.twitter.com/gIW1Qq15Ji
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
Jalen Williams: A-plus
While he was described as someone who could contribute right away due to his age and skill, not even the most optimistic JDub fans could’ve predicted this type of start to his rookie season.
Jalen Williams starts January with a bang as he finished with 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Williams did most of his damage inside the paint. He scored 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting near the rim. This included several dunks that sent the crowd wild to end the third quarter.
Audacious authority 😤 pic.twitter.com/YhX5ooBUWO
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
Despite being the 12th overall pick, the Thunder might’ve found a gem in Williams.
JDub jumps the passing lane!@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/HeDlh6bi2T
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
STATEMENT SLAM FROM JALEN WILLIAMS. 31-POINT THUNDER LEAD.@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/GT00dD4e4w
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 4, 2023
😀 @JdubPSCEO @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/efhGUzk6XJ
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 4, 2023
Lu Dort: A-plus
Lost in all of the Williams-Mann-Joe hype was a solid night for Lu Dort.
Dort finished with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and went 3-of-6 from three. Dort also tied Mann for highest plus-minus on the Thunder at a plus-31 in 28 minutes.
Dort also contributed five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 56 points on 20-of-35 (57.1%) shooting, the rest of the roster was nullified that it might their impressive individual games forgettable.
Giddey steal ➡️ Dort transition finish ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/YfdQ3dEMCS
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 4, 2023
