The backcourt duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey have headlined this recent run of success for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
So it was only appropriate they were the only ones to touch the ball on the game-winning basket for the Thunder in their 101-99 win over the Denver Nuggets.
With 11.2 seconds left in a tied game, Gilgeous-Alexander leveraged his way into an open lane and cut to the basket. Giddey, the best inbound passer on the team, recognized this and bounced the ball to an open Gilgeous-Alexander for an eight-foot bank shot.
The Thunder held the Nuggets scoreless on the other end and handed the Nuggets their fourth home loss of the season.
The caveat of the Nuggets missing Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. should not rain on OKC’s parade. The Thunder won a close, hard-fought contest against a first-place Nuggets team that entered on a nine-game winning streak.
With only three Thunder players reaching 10 points, Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey led the way. He finished with 34 points on an efficient 21 shots. Giddey added 18 points and nine rebounds.
Neither team shot the ball well, and both were pretty even in terms of shot volume and efficiency. The Thunder went 40-of-89 (44.9%) from the field and an ugly 7-of-26 (26.9%) from 3. The Nuggets went 36-of-82 (43.9%) from the field and 10-of-28 (35.7%) from 3.
The differences for the Thunder were inside the paint and from the free-throw line.
The Thunder outscored the Nuggets inside the paint, 58-44. Meanwhile, the Nuggets didn’t cash in on their trips to the charity stripe, going a hideous 17-of-33 (51.5%) from the free-throw line.
Without Jokic, it was an ugly, grind-it-out type of game for both teams that saw the Thunder hit timely shots when needed.
The chemistry of Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey continues to grow, and a game-winning shot against the Nuggets is the latest example of that.
For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray led the way. Murray finished with 26 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Aaron Gordon and Zeke Nnaji both collected double-double’s too. Gordon finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds; Nnaji finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Seven of the nine Nuggets players who played scored at least 10 points.
The Thunder will enjoy two days off before starting a three-game homestand. While it wasn’t the prettiest win against a Nuggets team missing their two-time MVP, there’s no need to discredit this impressive road victory.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
With the Thunder playing an ugly brand of basketball against the Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the offensive load once again.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting, five assists and five rebounds.
The most important basket of those 13 made shots came with nine seconds left, as Gilgeous-Alexander banked in the short game-winner thanks to cutting to the basket and being in synch with Josh Giddey.
Gilgeous-Alexander was able to create a lane by faking Aaron Gordon into pivoting the wrong way. Suddenly, space was there and a pump-fake for good measure on a recovering Gordon left Gilgeous-Alexander with an open shot eight feet away from the basket.
Something about All-Star Thunder guards hitting game-winners in Denver.
Add this moment to the growing collection of All-Star moments for Gilgeous-Alexander this season.
SHAI HAS ICE IN HIS VEINS 🥶@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/gkXFYZ240N
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 23, 2023
YOU CANNOT GUARD HIM. 💪
Shai gets the and-one on a TOUGH finish. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Og9aAOhbTX
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 23, 2023
Shai creating space and opportunity 😌 pic.twitter.com/DNsf3A105r
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 23, 2023
K-Rich with the steal, Shai with the TOUGH finish at the other end 😤@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Ec6XsidHV8
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 23, 2023
Josh Giddey: B-plus
While Gilgeous-Alexander will get the headlines, Josh Giddey deserves as much credit for staying patient on the inbound pass and being a step ahead.
Giddey finished with 18 points on 9-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds and three assists. Despite the low assist number, he saved the most important one for last.
Giddey did most of his scoring in the first half with 14 points, and he hit all of his shots inside of the paint.
Isaiah Joe's bag is much deeper than just shooting 😤
He finds Josh Giddey with a CLEAN pass for the bucket. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/4HayG0XLRc
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 23, 2023
Giddey with the early going! pic.twitter.com/lHDRFc3QMc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 23, 2023
Kenrich Williams: B
Off the bench, Kenrich Williams had an all-around performance.
Williams finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and went 3-of-5 from 3, six rebounds and four assists.
This included a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter that were crucial for the Thunder as they finished with just 20 points in the final frame.
Even though Mike Muscala drew the start at center, Williams essentially played starter minutes, finishing with 25.
KRich walks into this three from the top of the key! pic.twitter.com/RnKPGxBNTh
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 23, 2023
Lu Dort: B
While it wasn’t his best shooting game, finishing with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting and 1-of-6 from 3, Lu Dort had the most critical stop of the night.
With nine seconds left, Dort single-handedly stopped any chances of a tie or go-ahead basket when he forced Jamal Murray to miss a 14-foot two-point shot.
Dort guarded the Murray isolation to perfection and avoided fouling on a pump-fake. It was textbook one-on-one defense that Dort is notorious for.
With nine seconds to work with, Murray settled for a low-percentage shot.
Murray scored 26 points but went 11-of-23 from the field. With Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. out, Murray was the only serious scoring option for the Nuggets.
THE THUNDER WIN ON A LU DORT DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/tK7DCSh8MX
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 23, 2023
Lu draws a defender before dropping off a dime to Moose! pic.twitter.com/ALjpHy70Zs
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 23, 2023
