OKLAHOMA CITY — After a slow start in which they trailed by as many as 16 points against the Brooklyn Nets, the Oklahoma City Thunder weaponized the 3-ball in the third quarter to take control in a 121-107 win.
Led by Lu Dort’s five 3-pointers, the Thunder shot 8-of-15 from 3 and outscored the Nets 38-20 in the third quarter. The Thunder flipped a 10-point halftime deficit into an 8-point fourth-quarter lead.
“I thought the group did a great job at halftime just regrouping and taking a deep breath,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said.
The Thunder solidified their comeback win with a 31-25 fourth-quarter advantage. The slow start was a distant memory as the Thunder outscored the Nets 69-45 in the second half.
“We didn’t go down 25 (points) and we easily could have,” Daigneault said. “We just kind of hung in there long enough for the game to turn.”
The Thunder outscored the Nets, 66-38, inside of the paint and attempted 17 more shots. The Nets committed 17 turnovers, which resulted in 23 points for the Thunder.
“We just kinda hung in there long enough for the game to turn and then did a good job at the end of the first half kinda cutting into it,” Daigneault said. “… I thought the most underrated period of that game is when you’re taking body shots and hanging in there and not getting knocked out.”
Outside of their third-quarter barrage from 3, the Thunder shot 3-of-18 (16.7%) from outside in the other three quarters of the game. Overall, the Thunder shot 11-of-33 (33.3%) from 3 in the win.
“They guarded us. That’s a good team,” Daigneault said about the Nets. “… That’s a tough team to beat.”
Daigneault is definitely right. Entering the game, the Nets were — just like the Thunder — 5-1 in their last six games with four of those wins coming on the road. Even though the star power is no longer there, the Nets continue to play solid basketball as they are one game out of fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The new-look Nets were led by Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, who were acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant trade. Bridges finished with 34 points on 11-of-23 shooting and Johnson finished with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
With the win, the Thunder have won three consecutive games and six of their last seven games. Led by their young quartet, the Thunder continue to declare themselves serious playoff contenders.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Dort combined to score 97 of OKC’s 121 points.
“Those guys did a great job,” Daigneault said.
The Thunder have managed to bake their cake and eat it, too, as they develop their young core while also enjoying tangible positive results. It’s a delicate balance the Thunder have mastered. Wins like these should excite the fan base for future — immediate and long term.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
Aligning with the Thunder’s night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start to turn in another impressive performance.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-24 shooting and went 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander also had four assists and seven rebounds in the win.
Getting smothered whenever he got near the paint, Gilgeous-Alexander was held to five points on 2-of-7 shooting in the first quarter. That quickly turned around though. He scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting for the remainder of the game.
This is Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38th 30-point game of the season, which ties him for second in the league with Joel Embiid. Both trail Luka Doncic’s 40 30-point performances.
Shai continues to invent new ways to score 🔥
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/ipQNsGH39Q
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 15, 2023
Shai creates an opportunity in space! pic.twitter.com/N4RFUFoIi5
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Dime from Shai, slam from Giddey 🤌
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Z3Kl992UW9
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 15, 2023
Lu Dort: A
The catalyst for OKC’s game-changing third quarter, Lu Dort erupted for a season-high 24 points on an efficient 9-of-16 shooting and went 6-of-11 from 3. Dort also grabbed nine rebounds in the win.
The six made 3-pointers were a season high for Dort, who was 5-of-26 (19.2%) from 3 in his last five games.
Being white hot from outside, Dort scored most of his points in the third quarter as he recorded 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3. With the Thunder trailing by double digits to start the second half, Dort provided the spark to ignite OKC’s run.
“Guys like that deserve nights like this,” Giddey said about Dort. “He brings it every game. He gets the job of guarding (the other team’s) best player. … He got hot in that third quarter and really sparked that comeback for us.”
LU DORT CONTINUES TO COOK 🤯
That's 4 triples for Lu on the night.@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/CYehESf22K
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 15, 2023
Defense giving the offense energy! 🔋@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/cGcK5I1bZV
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Josh Giddey: A-minus
Speaking of Josh Giddey, he also played a vital role in the Thunder’s 14-point win.
Giddey finished with 15 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 13 rebounds and 10 assists — his eighth career triple double and fourth of the season.
While the shot didn’t fall, Giddey contributed in other ways to help the Thunder get the win. And although the scoring numbers don’t stand out, Giddey was timely with his buckets as seven of his 15 points came in the fourth quarter when the Thunder were closing out the win.
Josh Giddey with the 3. Another triple-double. 14-point lead.
IMMACULATE VIBES. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/td6TDQg8qy
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 15, 2023
Josh Giddey is passing absolute DIMES tonight in OKC 💰@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/LVtOx09E7H
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 15, 2023
Breaking down the defense to facilitate the rock! pic.twitter.com/on7WHcd7fT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Jalen Williams: A
At this point, Jalen Williams has normalized these type of performances.
Against the Nets, Williams finished with 23 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting and went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Williams also grabbed down 10 rebounds and dished out three assists.
Williams did most of his scoring in the second half, where he scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
This included the dagger in the fourth quarter, where Williams poked the ball away from Mikal Bridges and sprinted for the and-one transition layup. After Williams completed the 3-point play, the Thunder’s lead grew to 15 points with 1:37 remaining.
🍪🍪🍪 pic.twitter.com/gcVPoOeZHQ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Run the floor, kids! pic.twitter.com/GPiNPnOMAr
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Aggressive open to the second 💪 pic.twitter.com/Bd4AEwj2zA
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
Plus the foul! 💪 pic.twitter.com/P9HMeMsYNl
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 15, 2023
