OKLAHOMA CITY — With a chance to reach an unlikely tie, sharpshooter Isaiah Joe had just enough time to heave a turnaround right-wing 3-point attempt.
The shot hit the rim before ricocheting into the air as the final buzzer sounded for a 103-100 Oklahoma City Thunder loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was an appropriate ending to a game that saw the Thunder, who have been the best offensive-rated team since Jan. 1, struggle to hit shots. The Thunder once again failed to reach .500, which has been a thematic struggle this season.
After trailing by as many as 20 points, the Thunder came out of halftime and dominated the third quarter with a 22-16 advantage. The Thunder eventually cut the Pelicans’ lead to as little as one point but never actually passed them on the scoreboard.
“Credit them, they were more ready to play,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought they threw the first punch. They were more physical (and) more alert in the first quarter.”
It was a sluggish performance from both teams as the game had trouble finding rhythm until the second half.
The Thunder shot 38-of-90 (42.2%) from the field and 9-of-33 (27.3%) from 3. Meanwhile, the Pelicans shot 39-of-74 (52.7%) from the field and 9-of-30 (30%).
Despite taking 16 more shots than the Pelicans, the Thunder couldn’t take advantage of the extra possessions.
Without Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram carried the offensive load as he finished with 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting and four rebounds. Ingram used his lengthy-frame to shoot over Thunder defenders and hit high-difficulty shots.
It was pretty easy to tell Ingram was going to have a massive scoring night. He scored the first 12 points for the Pelicans in the opening four minutes.
“He’s a tough shot-maker. We’ve seen him do that before,” Daigneault said. “I thought what was disappointed is that he got loose early. … We allowed him to get into a pretty good rhythm there early. Tip our hat to him late, we guarded him as well as he could. Certainly not all of his 34 points were as earned as they could’ve been.”
Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while Jose Alvarado had 14 points and played stellar defense.
The loss makes the Thunder 0-3 against the Pelicans this season. No matter who’s out for them, it seems the Pelicans have the Thunder’s number this season and provide a bad matchup for them.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades from this three-point loss.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: C-plus
You don’t need to be a body language expert to tell Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was frustrated on Monday.
The usually super-efficient guard finished with an uncharacteristic 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists. After scoring eight first-quarter points, Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 16 points for the remaining three quarters.
Gilgeous-Alexander went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line but could’ve earned more trips if a more foul-friendly crew officiated the game.
Although don’t tell Gilgeous-Alexander that, as he refused to throw the officials under the bus.
“The game was physical,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I thought there were some missed calls. But it happens. Every night is basketball. The ref’s make mistakes. We make mistakes. It’s part of the game.”
Early downhill attack for SGA 😤 pic.twitter.com/kDnPnnFsYw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 14, 2023
Jalen Williams: A
The lone bright spot of this frustrating loss, Jalen Williams continues to shine as a rookie starter for the Thunder.
Williams finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.
Williams did most of his damage inside the paint, where he went 7-of-11.
With it being February, most rookies hit a wall at around this point of the season. But that’s not the case for Williams, who has been a key piece for OKC’s recent success.
“He’s hitting more of a stride than a wall,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s been impressive. He’s got a consistent approach. A consistent competitor. … Things are slowing down for him.”
The play of this low-scoring affair for the Thunder involved Williams.
The 21-year-old threw a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Gilgeous-Alexander that cut the Pelicans lead to one point with 2:45 left in the third quarter.
The crowd went crazy as a Josh Giddey hustle play began the transition with him diving for a loose ball.
IT'S SHOWTIME IN OKC 🤯@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Z0TjfcEWu6
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 14, 2023
Pretty work! 🤌@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/M2RP2shnHJ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 14, 2023
This Jalen Williams vs Jose Alvarado battle is 🍿@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/QtoAdMeUSo
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 14, 2023
Isaiah Joe: B-plus
The Thunder trusted Isaiah Joe to hit the biggest shot of the night and while it clanked off the rim, it speaks a lot to the accelerated improvements he’s made this season.
Using Gilgeous-Alexander as a decoy, the Thunder got Joe the ball in the final 3.1 seconds of the game to see if the sharpshooter could send the game to overtime.
It hit rim but it was a good idea to give your best 3-point shooter a chance to tie the game.
Against the Pelicans, Joe was the lone outside shooting threat for the Thunder as he finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 4-of-11 from 3.
Isaiah Joe from the Paycom Logo! 😳@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/ntSwduBx44
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 14, 2023
Josh Giddey: B
After a slow first three quarters, Josh Giddey had a strong finish to his game. Overall, Giddey finished with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.
In the fourth quarter, Giddey scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and helped orchestrate a near 20-point comeback against the Pelicans.
Just like his Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Giddey stepped up when his team needed it the most in crunch time.
“We dug ourselves a 20-point hole and did a good job to get out of it but if we hadn’t put ourselves in that position to start I think this game could’ve been ours,” Giddey said.
Giddey gets the feed from K-Rich for the EASY transition bucket 🔥@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/vYqshgmlRd
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 14, 2023
Sweltering defense ➡️ acrobatic finish ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/3427wJAoRp
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 14, 2023
Giddey-Dub connection 🤝 pic.twitter.com/04cvAtVS2d
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 14, 2023
