OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t let their collective foot off the gas pedal in their home game on Wednesday.
In the opening minutes, it was clear the Thunder meant business in a 126-106 win against the Indiana Pacers.
With the Thunder collecting confidence in recent weeks, they avoided a lackadaisical loss against the Pacers. This matchup had trap game written all over it, but to OKC’s credit, it opened with a 17-1 run and never looked back. The Thunder led by as many as 29.
“The team is growing in confidence and it’s a collective confidence,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said.
A historic night in the assist department helped the Thunder. They dished out a franchise-record 41 assists on 47-of-93 (50.5%) shooting. The 41 assists on 47 made shots is an absurd number. From outside, the Thunder shot 16-of-38 (42.1%) from 3.
A 42-point third quarter pushed the Thunder to triple digits and grew their lead to 27 points, essentially turning the fourth quarter into garbage time.
It was a team effort. Nobody took more than 17 shots and seven of the 11 Thunder players who played scored at least 10 points. The Thunder are developing their chemistry and continuing to play in sync.
Meanwhile, the Pacers with a similar record of 23-23, are heading the opposite direction. They have lost five consecutive games.
The Pacers never really got anything going without Tyrese Haliburton. Rookie Andrew Nembhard had the most notable performance. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, seven assists and five rebounds.
Outside of that though, not much. Prolific high-volume 3-point sniper Buddy Hield scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting from 3 in 19 minutes.
The Pacers were held to 44 points on 39% shooting in the first half. Overall, the Pacers shot 39-of-94 (41.5%) from the field and committed an eye-popping 23 turnovers, which led to 36 Thunder points.
After the first quarter, it was clear where this game was heading: The Thunder built a 16-point lead.
With the win, the Thunder stay in the playoff race. The Thunder sit in ninth place and are just 1.5 games behind fifth-place Dallas. Only 2.5 games separate eight teams in the Western Conference standings.
If the Thunder continue to stay within playoff range, expect the fifth- to 12th-place teams to continuously shift.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
With the Thunder playing great team basketball recently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander decided to take a passive role with 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander also finished with six assists, three rebounds and three assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander did most of his scoring in the odd-numbered quarters. He scored 10 points in the first quarter and helped the Thunder grow 16-point lead.
Coming out of half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points. A 27-point fourth quarter lead made it easy for the Thunder to rest Gilgeous-Alexander the entire final period.
Besides the tame box score numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high plus-38 in his 30 minutes and was able to get to the free-throw line frequently with a 8-of-9 night.
“I always thought we were confident. It was just a matter of time before the switch flipped,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the win.
No slowing Shai down! 😳
The next era of the Thunder story.
Vote Shai: https://t.co/2FFNkzy5oU pic.twitter.com/r9oiP64vBV
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Josh Giddey: A-minus
Josh Giddey continues to play well as he attacks the paint on a regular basis.
Giddey finished with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 11 assists and six rebounds. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey played within the flow of the offense and let his teammates cook with the ball.
Giddey scored 12 of his points inside the paint with six of his points coming on second-chance opportunities as he grabbed three offensive boards.
Giddey’s night was limited to 30 minutes as he fouled out in the fourth quarter. The crowd gave Giddey a round of applause as he departed to the bench, acknowledging his performance.
Giddey had Shai on his radar! 👀 pic.twitter.com/wfh9vMctXw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Extra effort, on the extra pass 😤 pic.twitter.com/3r8XNYEaNS
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Lu Dort: A-plus
Lu Dort had an efficient night on both ends of the court.
Dort finished with 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field and went 3-of-5 from 3. Dort also added 11 rebounds to collect a double-double.
When it felt like the Pacers were on the verge of making a run, Dort shut down any hopes.
Dort led the Thunder in scoring in the first half with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Decision-making on Dort’s drives were a big talking point for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault after the game.
He credited Dort for improving in that area of the game. Dort, who is usually sporadic on his drives, finished with no turnovers and went 5-of-9 inside the paint.
Both Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin had uncharacteristically quiet nights. Hield, who is usually a high-volume 3-point shooter, finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting from 3. Mathurin, the fellow Montreal native, finished with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Dort and Mathurin have a close relationship and talk on a regular basis. During the draft process last summer, Mathurin answered with Dort when asked which NBA player he was most looking forward to matching up on.
After one game, it looks like Dort is 1-0 in their matchups.
“He’s a bucket. And he’s been like that. I told him if you’re able to score on me, you’re gonna crush it at Arizona,” Dort said.
Game respects game 🤝 @luthebeast @BennMathurin #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Kki2wgF4Oc
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2023
How you breakdown a zone!
Work is the way.
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/2FFNkzy5oU pic.twitter.com/gls4qJWTgN
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Lu gets the friendly roll! pic.twitter.com/n8eDBbDYpT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Kenrich Williams: A
With the Thunder passing the ball around, Kenrich Williams had a career night. Williams, who started as the small-ball five, finished with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists.
Williams continues to be a key piece in OKC’s success. While he’s known for being a hustler and going the extra mile, it’s also important to recognize Williams is a skilled basketball player, too.
“KRich is a hooper,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s gonna do whatever it takes every night. He’s an A-plus glue guy for our team.”
Quick ball movement for a quick three 💦@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/PlSF2sq9SB
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Isaiah Joe: A-minus
While looking through the box score, I had to do a double-take to make sure I was reading Isaiah Joe’s line right.
Off the bench, Joe finished with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from 3. Joe tied Gilgeous-Alexander for the leading scorer of the night.
While the 23 points is impressive, there is the added caveat. Eleven of those points came in garbage time during the fourth quarter. Regardless, when you’re in someone like Joe’s position, who was cut from a talented Philadelphia 76ers roster in training camp, points are points.
Joe is sixth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, 44.4%. When asked if he’d be interested in showcasing his skills in the All-Star 3-point shooting contest, he was enthusiastic about the possibility.
"Most definitely, I would not pass that up."
-Isaiah Joe on the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest
Your move, @NBAAllStar 👀 pic.twitter.com/GMBqOELTUI
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2023
“Most definitely. I would not pass it up,” Joe said.
That's SEVEN three's for Isaiah Joe on the night 😳@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/XEwiGJKbiY
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2023
Isaiah Joe is absolutely automatic 😤@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Bk3ejmpedC
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2023
Zai swipes it then lobs it 🆙! pic.twitter.com/5Z61Nle5J2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
Need a triple? Isaiah Joe has you covered 💰@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/TLNcEgeijO
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2023
Zai connects on another from downtown! 👌 pic.twitter.com/58HcCIB9LD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2023
