Facing a double, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swung it out to Jalen Williams for the left-wing 3-pointer. The bucket gave OKC a 23-point lead with a little over three minutes left and was a neat way to tie a bow on this one.
The Oklahoma City Thunder used a strong fourth quarter to grind out a 107-83 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder extended their winning streak to five.
“We did a great job defensively, obviously, and it was pretty consistent throughout the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “I thought we set a really good tone of physicality early. Both teams it was a really physical game, first quarter, first half.
“We were able to sustain a really high level defensively throughout. There wasn’t much that they got that was easy.”
The final score is a bit deceptive as the Thunder and Pelicans failed to generate any offensive rhythm for the first three quarters, which resulted in a low-scoring affair. Neither team created much distance on the scoreboard.
Following the first quarter, the Thunder trailed, 24-22. A 28-point second quarter by OKC helped flip the score as it entered halftime with a 50-41 lead over New Orleans.
A 27-point third frame by the Thunder built a 77-64 lead to enter the fourth quarter. To start the final frame, OKC’s 17-12 run ballooned its lead to 18 points with a little over six minutes left.
The Thunder continued to add to their advantage as they quickly created a game-high 26-point lead. Both teams cleared their benches with a little over three minutes left. By the final buzzer, OKC outscored New Orleans, 30-19, in the fourth quarter.
After initially struggling to score, the Thunder suddenly snapped out of their offensive funk. Overall, OKC shot 48% from the field and went 10-of-33 (30.3%) from 3. It collected 22 assists on 42 baskets.
“Our poise to stay with it even when the shots weren’t falling and we weren’t really moving the scoreboard a ton was impressive,” Daigneault said. “It didn’t impact our attacks on offense and it certainly didn’t impact our intensity on defense.”
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points and five assists. Williams totaled 15 points and seven assists — with nine points in the final frame. Chet Holmgren had 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ offensive outing matched its court and uniform combo. They shot an ugly 39% from the field and went 9-of-36 (25%) from 3. New Orleans committed 20 turnovers, which led to 22 points for OKC.
The Pelicans — who were without Zion Williamson as he recovers from a foot bruise — failed to record a single 15-plus-point scorer.
Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and nine rebounds; Herb Jones had 14 points and four rebounds; Brandon Ingram was limited to 12 points, nine assists and four rebounds; CJ McCollum was held to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Considering the Pelicans were fresh off of a franchise-record 153-point outing with two days of rest, this was a masterful defensive job by the Thunder to hold New Orleans to a measly 83 points.
“I think we did a really good job as a team,” Holmgren said on the defensive outing. “I don’t think there was too many missed assignments. We were all really keyed in on that end — helping the help guy… Overall, just a great team effort and kinda focus on that end.”
The Thunder continue to keep pace for the first seed and add to their league-best 15-8 road record with an impressive away victory.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
The Pelicans have been viewed as a tough matchup for Gilgeous-Alexander, but performances like these can quickly dispel that.
In 32 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. He shot 3-of-8 from 3 and went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
The eight 3-point attempts were on the high side for Gilgeous-Alexander, who historically takes few. It seems like he’s trying to add the stepback 3-pointer to his arsenal as defenders focus on not giving him the drive.
Playing the full opening frame, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points as the rest of the team struggled to score against New Orleans. An 11-point third quarter helped OKC build a double-digit lead.
In the final frame, Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t needed for heroics as the non-SGA lineups did enough on their own to blow this open. By the time he checked in, OKC led by 17 points with six minutes left and he was only asked to play three minutes before being pulled out.
This game was also the first time since Gilgeous-Alexander was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career. He’s led the Thunder to their strong start this season.
“It’s an honor, it’s a blessing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Obviously, there’s so many talented players in the NBA, so many talented guards, especially in the West. To be voted first by my peers, people that do the same job as me every night is a really good feeling.”
.@shaiglalex slips and serves it 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/IzgtkXxu8F
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
SGA special 💪 pic.twitter.com/Aw08FxdR3P
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Giddey finds Shai 👀 pic.twitter.com/NjDx3gG0mU
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Jalen Williams: A
The biggest reason why Gilgeous-Alexander was afforded the luxury to play just three fourth-quarter minutes is the monster final frame Williams had.
In 31 minutes, Williams collected 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and was a game-high plus-22.
In the fourth quarter, Williams scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, hitting on several highly difficult shots — including a turnaround fadeaway jumper that trickled through the net.
When it was his time to shine, Williams stepped up and quickly forgot a quiet first three quarters. He continues to dominate in the final frames and has served as OKC’s closer.
“We just have more games under our belt with each other,” Williams said on the team’s rapport. “For the most part, it’s almost the exact same group. We just have a lot more reps. Guys know what to kinda expect from them every game.”
Bounce in the Bayou 🤝 pic.twitter.com/HGSf52oIzH
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
8️⃣ putting in work late pic.twitter.com/kXZvzD3CeX
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Chet Holmgren: A
Lots have been made about Holmgren’s frame and how it would hold up against bruting bigs. Against Valanciunas, the seven-foot rookie had no issue outplaying the 6-foot-11, 265-pound center.
In 30 minutes, Holmgren tallied 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 13 rebounds and two blocks. He shot 2-of-6 from 3. It’s his second 20-10 performance of the season.
The Williams-Holmgren two-man game continues to work as they connected on a pair of tough finishes around the rim for the latter. Overall, the 21-year-old had some impressive finishes in this one — including a fancy spin move.
“Mark kills us when we lose those minutes, so there’s a little extra juice to win those,” Holmgren said on their lineups together. “Credit to (Williams) for running the show in those minutes, especially when Shai’s out.”
New Orleans failed to score inside and shot an ugly 19-of-40 (47.5%) from inside of the paint. A lot of that has to be accredited to Holmgren’s presence.
“He really battled tonight, Chet did, just really battled,” Daigneault said. “… You’re able to use the dynamic element of Chet on the (offensive) end of the floor. We were able to get to that a lot tonight. Chet had a very good offensive game. We did a helluva job leveraging his gravity.”
Chet cleans it up at the buzzer 🧽 pic.twitter.com/pwj7rDFbUD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Picking up where he left off 😤 pic.twitter.com/ce8Twa08yt
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Spin and slam 😵💫@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/2gt64dsWYf
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Chet redirects 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qJuNVPbq6s
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Cason Wallace: B
Intercepting a pass, Wallace pushed it in transition for the one-handed dunk in the second quarter. Regardless of role, the rookie continues to make positive impacts for the Thunder.
In 21 minutes off the bench, Wallace had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and four steals. He shot 2-of-5 from 3.
The 20-year-old helped OKC turn in a strong final frame, where he played 10 minutes and scored six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
His final outside shot gifted the Thunder their game-high 26-point lead with a little over two minutes left. Wallace has been an integral part of OKC’s success this season.
“Just knowing that I’m guarding one of the main guys, they’re trying to get the ball in his hands,” Wallace said on his steals. “Me knowing that and trusting my instincts as well.”
Wiggins to Wallace 🤌 pic.twitter.com/ER3U2YGXZZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
2️⃣(2️⃣) way action 💨 pic.twitter.com/2erfORjcOg
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
Rook keeps his hand in the cookie jar 🍪 pic.twitter.com/c2d75KALYb
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 27, 2024
