Just an ugly night for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they lose 118-105 to the worst team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets. The Thunder fall to 8-12 and the Rockets improve to 5-14. In this article I will be diving into my thoughts, what went wrong, and what this could mean heading forward.
(Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images)
Summary:
Once the 2nd quarter hit, this game was just never close. Houston went up by as many as 27 halfway through the 3rd. The offense was not present today, nor was the defense. OKC scored just 22 points in each of the first 2 quarters. Thankfully, they held Houston to only 23 in the 1st to keep it a 1 point game. But then they proceed to give up 42 in the next and trailed by 21 at halftime. The Rockets never looked back after that point. On the bright side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 32 points in only 27 minutes and now has the most 30 point games out of any player this season! What went wrong tonight? Well, just about everything. Thunder giving up 118 points to the 22nd best scoring team is not ideal. Rockets were blazing hot from downtown, 18-36 (50%). Jalen Green hit 6 of those triples, and Eric Gordon, Jabari Smith Jr, and Garrison Matthews all converted on 3+ threes as well. Thunder were the complete opposite, only hitting 10 threes on 44 attempts. Tre Mann had perhaps his worst game of his career, just 2 points and shot 0-9 from beyond the arc. Dort, Dieng, Poku, and Bazley all combined for just 3 points. Yikes. Thunder was outrebounded 53-41 which typically happens when you cannot make a shot. Their next game is Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans who have looked good as of late.
Box Score:
OKC:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 32p, 3r, 3a, 2s
Josh Giddey: 18p, 5r, 2a
Aaron Wiggins: 15p, 2r, 3s
Jalen Williams: 11p, 5r, 4a
Kenrich Williams: 9p, 4r
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 9p, 5r, 2a
HOU:
Jalen Green: 28p, 2r, 9a
Alperen Sengun: 21p, 19r, 7a, 3s, 2b
Kevin Porter Jr:16p, 3r, 6a
Jabari Smith Jr: 15p, 13r
Eric Gordon: 15p, 2a
Garrison Matthews: 11p, 2r
Tari Eason: 7p, 6r, 2s
Awards:
Most Valuable Player:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Know Your Role:
Aaron Wiggins
Defensive Lockdown:
Nobody
Make sure to follow @OKCDistrict_ for all the news, updates, and more on the OKC Thunder! As always, Thunder Up.
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