OKLAHOMA CITY – With the 2022 All-Star voting opening on Thursday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might benefit from recency bias.
In a back-and-forth contest between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander hit the game-winning shot for the last of 13 lead changes to go along with 13 ties.
Neither team had a lead larger than 10 points and the final minute had four lead changes.
With three seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander worked his way to the left baseline with a single dribble and attempted a 14-foot pull-up jumper he swished as the final buzzer sounded.
Despite the Thunder only having 10 players available, Gilgeous-Alexander carried the team to its second consecutive win against a Western Conference playoff opponent.
That is a pretty awesome night for Gilgeous-Alexander considering he was dealing with a lower back contusion that caused him to miss one game and be listed on the injury report for this one.
On a night in which Damian Lillard became the leading scorer in Trail Blazers history, Gilgeous-Alexander had all the attention on him as he once again hit another game-winner.
For the Trail Blazers, Lillard led the way with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 6-of-12 from 3. ‘Dame Time’ was fully activated as he scored six points in the fourth quarter. After receiving a warm welcome, Jerami Grant also contributed with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and eight rebounds.
Anfernee Simons finished with 19 points and Josh Hart had 13 points.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes 30-point games look as effortless as tying your shoes.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in 30-plus point performances, as he’s scored 20 in his 28 games.
“I guess you can say it’s turned into a norm for myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about being a scoring machine.
After a slow start that saw him go a cold 2-of-12 from the field, Gilgeous-Alexander turned it up and finished with 35 points on 10-of-24 shooting and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.
In the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander outdueled Lillard, scoring 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. This included his game-winning 19-foot jumper as he faded away from a contesting Justise Winslow.
It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s fourth game-winner of his career. The shot made the rounds on Twitter, and that could help Gilgeous-Alexander gain momentum for a potential All-Star bid.
ice cold 🧊 pic.twitter.com/0c5DRSuNut
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
❝We gave ourselves a chance defensively all night.❞@NickAGallo caught up with @shaiglalex after a walk-off winner at home. pic.twitter.com/T65VN8ST1E
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
BTW…All-Star voting begins in the morning 🗳 pic.twitter.com/wSKeNIbUsW
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
The shot heard round the world 🪣 pic.twitter.com/GGRv5IvTZj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
Silky smooth spin and finish 😌 pic.twitter.com/JX6X7hirsz
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
Jalen Williams: B-plus
The unsung hero on Gilgeous-Alexander’s inbound pass was the person who had to actually make the pass, Jalen Williams.
Josh Giddey is usually the inbound passer in clutch situations. His elite vision and passing skills give the Thunder an advantage. But with Giddey out, Williams was handed the important responsibility and was credited with the game-winning assist.
In 33 minutes, Williams finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. A solid night for the rookie wing making his second consecutive start out of necessity with the amount of players out.
JDub Jam 🔨 pic.twitter.com/0k1HoryUUI
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
Isaiah Joe: B
The Thunder needed scoring, and Isaiah Joe once again provided some with his outside shooting.
In 23 minutes off the bench, Joe finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3. The Thunder outscored the Trail Blazers by 17 points when Joe was on the floor.
After being a late training camp signing, Joe has shot his way to being a pivotal rotation piece for the Thunder.
Isaiah connects with another from downtown 👌 pic.twitter.com/IV4ckACxVH
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
Mike Muscala: B-plus
Everything said about Joe can be copy-and-pasted here with Mike Muscala.
The Thunder bench stepped up big time. Muscala scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3. In 16 minutes, the Thunder were a plus-12 with Muscala on the floor.
Kenrich Williams: A
While he came off the bench, Kenrich Williams played like a starter as he finished with 29 minutes — the fourth-most on the team.
Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. The Thunder outscored the Trail Blazers by 18 points when Williams was on the floor.
Williams was on the floor when Gilgeous-Alexander hit his tough game-winner. What was going through Williams’ head during that moment? Certainly not the thought of overtime.
“Just get the ball in our best player’s hands,” Williams said. “Any time it’s late in the game we trust Shai. Coach drew up a great play.”
The Thunder’s three-headed bench monster in Williams, Joe and Muscala were massive plus-minus darlings.
KRich dances to knock down the corner three 🎯 pic.twitter.com/tM4Q0e9ABm
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 20, 2022
