OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s return from a five-game absence couldn’t have gone any better for both himself and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In a 129-119 win over the Utah Jazz, Gilgeous-Alexander scored an efficient 38 points. Considering the last time Gilgeous-Alexander played — he scored 39 points against this same team — it looks like he didn’t miss a beat.
“I’m just glad I was able to be out there and help them and I’m just glad we got a dub today,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
It wasn’t all him though — as Gilgeous-Alexander was joined by rookie teammate Jalen Williams in the 30-point club with a career-high 32 points.
Combined together, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams scored 70 points on 22-of-32 (68.7%) shooting. Add Josh Giddey’s 24 points to that mix and the young trio combined for 94 points on 32-of-48 (66.7%) shooting and went 9-of-13 (69.2%) from 3.
“I think the three of us are all getting better for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The three of us are a big part of the future here.”
The Thunder started off on a strong note against the Jazz as they grew a 35-20 lead following the opening 12 minutes. Following the first quarter, OKC’s lead against the Jazz never shrank to single digits for the remainder of the night.
The Thunder led by as many as 24 points as they led wire-to-wire once again. In both matchups during this mini-baseball series, the Thunder led throughout the entirety of both games.
“I just thought our guys started the game really well, especially defensively,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We were up 18-6. We were in our spots and made them earn everything… We forced them to go to jump shots early and took away the easy stuff and it set the tone for the game.”
The Thunder shot 44-of-87 (50.6%) from the field and went 14-of-37 (37.8%) from 3. The Thunder also had a busy night from the free-throw line as they went 27-of-33 (81.8%). Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 19 attempts.
With no Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Walker Kessler both collected double-doubles in the loss for the Jazz. Clarkson finished with 18 points and 12 assists while Kessler had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
After losing five consecutive games out of the All-Star break, the Thunder are winners of two in a row.
Considering the Thunder are opting to see if Gilgeous-Alexander can play through an abdominal strain instead of resting him until it’s fully healed, it looks like the Thunder are all in on their playoff chances.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A+
It sure didn’t look like the abdominal strain hindered Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his first game back since Feb. 24.
Making his return from a five-game absence, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points on 10-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
From the charity stripe, Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career high in both makes and attempts as he went 17-of-19.
The Thunder immediately felt Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact as he scored the opening bucket on a turnaround fadeaway shot that swished in as the shot clock sounded.
Gilgeous-Alexander 13 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting. By halftime, Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points as the Thunder led by 19 points.
Despite the impressive numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted after the game that he was battling fatigue as he played his first game in 11 days — a scary thought for the rest of the league as he dropped 38 efficient points in 37 minutes.
“I didn’t think he played his best game but he certainly cruised to 38 (points) and played really well,” Daigneault said about Gilgeous-Alexander.
Worked out well 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/MsiCYxuY2g
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
🤧🤧🤧🤧 pic.twitter.com/T4YfMkU2Pp
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
All. Out. Effort. 😤
Shai dives for the ball and finds Isaiah Joe, who drains a wide open 3!@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/ibysiJde6h
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 6, 2023
Jalen Williams: A+
At this rate, Jalen Williams is making a late push for Rookie of the Year.
In 34 minutes, Williams scored a career-high 32 points on an extremely efficient 12-of-15 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. The outside ball is also starting to hit for Williams as he went 4-of-5 from 3 — in his last 17 games, Williams is shooting 49% on three 3-point attempts a game.
Outside of a baseline jumper and a deep two that was centimeters from being a three-point attempt, Williams attempts all of his shots either inside of the paint or from outside.
The 32-point outing puts Williams atop all Western Conference rookies in scoring with 13.3 points. Williams has scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games.
Williams joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only Thunder rookies to record a game with at least 30 points, five assists and five rebounds.
“I’m not surprised to see it at all,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Williams’ performance. “Kid works hard.”
JALEN. WILLIAMS. 32 POINTS. @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/IaxKNay9V2
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 6, 2023
That's 25 points for Jalen Williams 😤@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/7sytO1OV7m
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 6, 2023
Ous denies the pass ➡️ JDub converts the bucket 🤝 pic.twitter.com/heZKw09JdX
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
Jalen Williams is an absolute monster 🤯@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/s3vIhqe1GD
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 6, 2023
Josh Giddey: A+
Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams will get the headlines as the pair of teammates scored 30-plus points, but Josh Giddey also had an amazing game.
Giddey finished with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, nine assists and nine rebounds. The 3-ball was also hitting for Giddey too as he went 4-of-6 from 3. The four made 3-pointers tied a career-high for Giddey in a single game.
It’s all good vibes for OKC’s young core.
Shifty work off the jab! pic.twitter.com/niYh2uUK5o
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
Continuing to push the pace! ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/h6ojzqEkJz
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
2-3 combo 🤝 pic.twitter.com/INCVorVerB
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
Ousmane Dieng: B
This was Ousmane Dieng’s best game since breaking his wrist in December.
In 20 minutes off the bench, Dieng finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and two steals.
“I thought he’s been competing at the level that we want him to compete,” Daigneault said about Dieng. “Obviously, he made a couple shots tonight, but it’s so early for him. He’s so young. And he missed so much time this year that it’s just about him establishing a consistent level of competitive juice.”
Tough defense leads to in rhythm offense 👌 pic.twitter.com/NfnocCMDoL
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
