Heading into their next two games against the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a chance to get two easy wins on paper and get back to .500 for the first time since being 4-4 early in the season.
Instead, all the Thunder can do now is hope for a split after losing to the Rockets, 112-106.
The Thunder struggled out of the gates once again as they trailed the Rockets — who were missing their starting backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. — 34-25 following the first quarter.
A drowsy start by the Thunder matched the energy inside the Toyota Center.
After digging themselves into an early hole, it was a game of catch-up.
The Thunder eventually took over the lead in the third quarter due to an impressive 28-17 advantage. Alas, it wouldn’t hold as the Rockets enjoyed a 28-20 fourth-quarter scoring advantage that led them to the upset win.
“I thought they were more ready to play from the jump,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We had a hard time. In the first half, they just played with a lot more force than we did… It wasn’t a 48-minute effort on our part and it was on theirs.”
A Kenyon Martin Jr. 26-foot three-pointer essentially sealed the game as the Rockets grew their lead to seven points with 3:05 left in the game. The following three Thunder possessions ended in two turnovers and a missed shot.
Those three possessions encapsulated the type of offensive woes the Thunder suffered on Wednesday.
It was an ugly offensive showing for the Thunder as they shot 38-of-103 (36.9%) from the field and an even uglier 12-of-43 (27.9%) from 3. While the Rockets didn’t shoot the ball much better, they dominated inside of the paint and outscored the Thunder 66-46.
The 20-point difference in points inside the paint essentially decided the game. The Rockets also took advantage of their size by dominating the Thunder on the glass, out-rebounding them 65-52.
“I thought they set the tone for the game in the first half and kinda had us on our heels,” Daigneault said.
Considering how well the Thunder have played — going 9-4 in January and entering playoff conversations — losses like these are hard to stomach for playoff aspirations.
The Thunder are the better team than the Rockets, yet — for whatever reason — have struggled to collect easy-on-paper wins against them. In the last two seasons, the Thunder are 1-5, which includes a blowout loss to them earlier this season.
Without Green and Porter Jr., veteran guard Eric Gordon led the way for the Rockets as he finished with a season-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Rookie forward Tari Eason also added a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
Martin Jr. had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Alperen Sengun finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
The Thunder will get a chance to right the ship with a rematch against the Rockets at home on Saturday.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: C
It was an ugly 24 points for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In 34 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, 10-of-10 free-throw shooting, eight rebounds and four assists.
After a strong first quarter that saw Gilgeous-Alexander score nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled for the remainder of the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is usually efficient inside of the paint, struggled as he went just 6-of-19 in that area.
A surprising result in face value as the Rockets have the third-worst defensive rating — but not that surprising when you dig into the numbers a little bit more and see that they are top-five in fewest paint points allowed.
Shai making the hard work look easy 💪 pic.twitter.com/f6IlCpQyir
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2023
Easy money, Shai 💰@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/cjdvXxTV0m
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 2, 2023
Shai with a little bit of magic for the bucket 🪄@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/ploKfRnqdH
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 2, 2023
Tough take and finish from 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/f2pTAlnsso
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2023
Bully ball from Shai 🔥
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/D8vAZJcQLi
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 2, 2023
Josh Giddey: C
Much like last game, Josh Giddey had a cold first half and a hot second half.
Overall, Giddey finished with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting and 2-of-6 from 3, eight rebounds, eight assists but three turnovers.
In the first half, Giddey was limited to seven points on 3-of-6 shooting. In the second half, Giddey was more aggressive and scored 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Giddey’s shots were either inside of the paint or from three with six of his nine makes coming near the rim.
Giddey gets crafty with the scoop and finish! pic.twitter.com/i0my9lmwOD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2023
Josh Giddey fights for the bucket in his 100th career game! 💯@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/DzO36DRsgm
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 2, 2023
Tre Mann: B
Arguably the lone bright spot in this bad loss was Tre Mann having his best game since the Jan. 3 win against the Boston Celtics.
Against the Rockets, Mann scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 4-of-9 from 3 in 17 minutes off the bench. Mann also grabbed four rebounds.
After a slow first quarter that saw Mann score two points on 1-of-3 shooting, he gained rhythm for the remainder of the game and scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Considering Mann’s averaged 4.3 points on 37.7 percent shooting, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 13 games between the Celtics win and tonight, he definitely needed a performance like this.
“I thought his pop tonight was a byproduct of him just kinda sticking with it through some rough waters up until this point,” Daigneault said about Mann.
Kenrich Williams: B
Despite Jaylin Williams being given the start, Kenrich Williams played starter minutes.
Jaylin Williams only played 12 minutes compared to Kenrich Williams’ 30 minutes off the bench.
Williams finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 1-of-5 shooting from 3, six rebounds and three steals.
Most of his scoring was in the first half as Williams had 11 points. In the second half, he was limited to two points.
Another Kenrich Williams charge! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/iqDKV1eUNk
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2023
KRich elevates off the Giddey dime! pic.twitter.com/CWW4g35HPc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2023
