OKLAHOMA CITY — With a chance to either tie or hit the go-ahead bucket, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stepback 3-pointer came up short with three seconds left.
It was a fitting end to a frustrating night for both Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who suffered a 110-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
“They kept us on our toes there for sure,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “A lot of it had to do with who they had out there at the five. … The zone threw us off kilter a little bit to start the fourth. They did a good job. I thought they coached and played a really good game.
The ugly loss featured the Thunder blowing a 22-point lead. After a 33-point opening quarter, OKC’s offense struggled in the middle quarters, during which it produced a combined 44 points. Overall, it shot 43% from the field and went 7-of-34 (20.6%) from 3.
Overcoming a poor first quarter, the Pelicans cut their deficit to eight points by the halftime break. By the end of the third quarter, New Orleans had taken a one-point advantage.
For the Pelicans, it was the brand of basketball they likely wanted to play without their best scorer, Brandon Ingram, who was ruled out with knee soreness.
Without the All-Star’s services, C.J. McCollum scored 29 points and had 11 rebounds. Zion Williamson, who was playing his first game in front of OKC fans, had 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder struggled on the boards; they were outrebounded, 58-49. This included 22 offensive boards by the Pelicans, which helped them score an eye-popping 27 second-chance points.
By the end of the game, the Pelicans attempted 102 shots, a much larger volume than OKC’s 88 attempts. A 14-attempt difference bought New Orleans plenty of room for error.
“They really put a lot of effort into it,” Chet Holmgren said about the rebounding numbers. “That’s the biggest key with coming away with offensive rebounds. If you don’t put the effort in, you’re not going to get them. They did that tonight.”
Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in his matchup against the Pelicans. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting. It’s been said before, but Herb Jones does as good a job as anybody in the league when it comes to containing the All-NBA guard.
This game was the latest example. The usually super-efficient scorer was limited to 20 points on 20 shots. The lack of free throws continues to be a running theme in his season; he attempted only five tonight.
“I guess they’re doing a better job at not fouling this year for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his reduced free-throw attempts.
This was a bad loss for OKC. The Pelicans struggled mightily in the first half, shooting 26% from the field. After building a 22-point lead, the Thunder let New Orleans slowly get back into it without much resistance. A 47-25 OKC lead dwindled to a 59-58 deficit eight playing time minutes later.
OKC had several chances to deliver a knockout blow in the first half but couldn’t. In the final moments, it had opportunities to collect the win despite a poor outing but came up short.
“Obviously, it hurts to lose,” Holmgren said. “Just fires us up more to get back in tomorrow and figure out how to get better.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: C
It was a tough outing for Gilgeous-Alexander. In 38 minutes, he finished with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting, eight assists and five rebounds. He went 0-of-5 from 3, including a chance to hit the potential game-winner late.
A lack of free throws continues to be an issue for Gilgeous-Alexander. This time around, he went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. What made last season so special for him was his ability to easily score 25-plus points without high shot volume due to his ability to get to the line 10-plus times with ease.
It’s early in the season, but Gilgeous-Alexander is simply not getting the calls he received last year for whatever reason.
“It feels like defenders are allowed to be a little more physical this year,” Gilgeous-Alexander on the lack of free throws. “That’s what it feels like. But yeah, I don’t know, really.”
After the game, he was spotted wearing an iced wrap around his knee. Daigneault mentioned he suffered a knee sprain during the game but was fine enough to finish. This will be something to monitor to see how he feels heading into upcoming games.
Getting through the paint with ease
High energy in @PaycomCenter ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/e3fMknpwxj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2023
Chet Holmgren: B-minus
Holmgren held up admirably while matching up against the heavy Pelicans frontcourt of Williamson and Valanciunas.
In 37 minutes, Holmgren finished with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds and two blocks. He also went 1-of-5 from 3. The seven-footer almost exclusively scored around the rim sans a two-point jumper and 3-pointer.
Against the Valanciunas, Holmgren limited him to 19 points and nine rebounds. Not good but not downright awful considering how lopsided this matchup is supposed to be on paper with the weight difference.
Throw it ⬆️, put it ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nqYWZTG9Wc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 1, 2023
Clear the runway for 7️⃣@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/DAxkRv7F2y
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2023
Jalen Williams: B-minus
In 38 minutes, Williams had 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. After a quiet first half, he went off in the second half with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
The 22-year-old did an excellent job at getting to the free-throw line. He went 8-of-9 from the charity stripe to rack up his scoring.
The difference in boards could be attributed to a lack of size against one of the biggest frontcourts in the league. Playing Williams at center hurt OKC more than it helped in this matchup.
“When we played Jalen Williams at the five at one time tonight, when we go that small, we’re obviously accepting some tradeoffs,” Daigneault said. “And those are my decisions. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.”
JDub goes coast to coast ↔️ pic.twitter.com/1BPcZaWZT1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2023
Wiggins finds Williams for the slam 😤#ThunderUp @okcthunder 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/W5OgNNVA6G
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) November 2, 2023
Josh Giddey: C-minus
The shot didn’t fall, but Giddey contributed in other ways. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He also went 1-of-4 from 3.
The 21-year-old tried to go downhill, but he went only 4-of-11 from inside of the paint against the Pelicans. The aggressiveness to go inside only netted him a 2-of-2 night from the free-throw line.
All gas, no brakes on both ends ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/gwUKzYDLaj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2023
The steal. The pass. The shot. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/KC8IgLQcf7
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2023
