OKLAHOMA CITY — Before Wednesday’s game, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said he of course had concerns over his team looking ahead to the All-Star break.
It’s only human nature. It provides the players their first and only extended break of the grueling nine-month season.
Well, any concerns of that leaking over to the Thunder’s game against the Houston Rockets were quickly put to rest in a 133-96 win. After being 1-5 in their previous six games against the Rockets, the Thunder have won two in a row with a 34.5-point average margin of victory.
“I was really impressed by our focus level,” Daigneault said.”That’s a tough game because of the All-Star break, and it’s a tough break because we won by a good margin the last time we played them. So a lot of dynamics that we had to overcome mentality and I thought our guys really brought it from the jump and played 48 minutes of good basketball.”
It was clear where this game was heading in the first quarter as the Thunder opened a 38-21 lead. By halftime, the Thunder led by 22 points. By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder had already scored 116 points.
The Thunder led by as many as 42 points and won by a season-high 37 points.
The Thunder went 42-of-87 (48.3%) from the field and 9-of-34 (26.5%) shooting from 3. From the free-throw line, the Thunder had a busy night as they went an absurd 40-of-47 (85.1%).
Five Thunder players finished with at least 10 points and nobody played more than 29 minutes. This was also the first time in Thunder history that 13 players scored at least four points.
The low outside shooting numbers were a little surprising — especially considering the Thunder reached the century mark before the end of three quarters. Scoring advantages of 64-38 in the paint and 24-14 on the fast-breaks will make up for poor shooting from outside.
Meanwhile, it was a rough night for the Rockets.
The Rockets went 30-of-89 (33.7%) from the field and 10-of-37 (27%) from 3. From the free-throw line, the Rockets went 26-of-38 (68.4%).
Jabari Smith Jr. has the most notable game for the Rockets. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Green contributed with 14 points in 16 minutes before being pulled due to a groin strain.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
To cap his pre-All-Star break, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in another masterpiece as he heads off to Salt Lake City.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on an efficient 8-of-16 shooting and went 13-of-15 from the free-throw line to go along with six assists.
After struggling in the first two games against the Rockets, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 35.5 points in the last two games of the four-game season series.
With a massive lead, Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed the fourth quarter on the bench and only played 29 minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 of his points in the first quarter and led the way to a massive lead.
Shai with emphasis in transition ‼️@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/prLERPhgza
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
Another smooth drop off and finish! 👀 pic.twitter.com/L4U2LZRzmX
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
Jalen Williams: B-plus
Outside of Gilgeous-Alexander, it was an all-around team effort for the rest of the Thunder as nobody took more than 10 shots or scored more than 15 points.
In Jalen Williams’ case, he finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 22 minutes and was a game-high plus-30.
Williams was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble as he finished with four fouls and due to the Thunder being in control for the entirety of the game.
JDub with the early rim-rocker! 🔨 pic.twitter.com/Ckgj1AQwYZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
J-DUB THROWS IT DOWN!!@okcthunder | @JdubPSCEO | #ThunderUp | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/FbGVMl9pq8
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 16, 2023
Josh Giddey: B-plus
Outside of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, Josh Giddey owned the other big plus-minus game for the Thunder. He was a plus-25 in 25 minutes.
Giddey finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, six assists and three rebounds.
“Obviously, we felt like — especially last year, this year in the first few games — we kinda struggled against these guys. I’m not sure what it was,” Giddey said. “In the last few games, we’ve really come out from the jump. We started slow in the past when we played them but in the last few games we’ve come out with the right mindset of not taking them lightly and (got) some big wins.”
Giddey goes full steam ahead 🚂
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH pic.twitter.com/YSPVkbcDsh
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 16, 2023
Lu Dort: B-plus
Due to the Thunder controlling the flow and score of this game. Lu Dort also enjoyed a relaxed night as he played just 24 minutes and was a plus-21. Due to the large lead, Dort did not see action in the fourth quarter.
Dort finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-5 from 3.
Before getting injured, Dort did a masterful job on Jalen Green and held him to 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Sheesh! The show goes on for Dort 🔥 pic.twitter.com/n58nyHJDAS
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 16, 2023
Alley-Lu! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/dFFJvX4mUo
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
Dario Saric: B
In his Thunder debut, Dario Saric showed out.
Saric checked into the game with a loud ovation from the Thunder crowd and he rewarded the gratitude with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes off the bench.
“I love him. He’s a big, smart guy that can stretch the floor for us,” Giddey said. “I was really excited when I heard he was coming over here.”
Giddey with the post up and kick out to Šarić from downtown👌 pic.twitter.com/rSGP688aaH
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
Dario getting involved on the boards! 💪 pic.twitter.com/1m8TzPirJ9
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2023
First points in the orange and blue for Dario Saric! @okcthunder | #TexasHockey | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/hxcBT7EaB6
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) February 16, 2023
