Needing to sink all three free throws, Jaden Shackelford sealed the win at the charity stripe.
After nearly blowing a 21-point lead, the G League’s OKC Blue survived the Rio Grand Rapid Vipers, 128-126, in overtime on Wednesday. The home win improved the Blue’s record to 7-4.
The Blue started well, leading 33-21 following the first quarter. By halftime, OKC’s lead increased to 15, 71-56. It appeared the Blue were going to cruise to an easy win, but a 33-point fourth quarter by the Vipers forced OT.
In the G League, overtime is won by a target score of seven points instead of the traditional five-minute period. The Blue won by scoring the final three points at the line after Shackelford was fouled on a 3-point attempt.
The Blue shot 54% from the field and went 11-of-34 (32.4%) from 3. They also went 18-of-23 (78.3%) from the free-throw line. OKC dished 30 assists on 45 made shots but also turned it over a ridiculously high 27 times.
Meanwhile, the Vipers shot 43% from the field and went 16-of-46 (34.8%) from 3. They had 28 assists and 19 steals.
More importantly, this was Amen Thompson’s first game after missing a month with an ankle sprain. In his return, the 2023 No. 4 pick collected a triple-double.
Some notable individual performances for both sides:
- Ousmane Dieng: 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting, 1-of-7 from 3, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals
- Keyontae Johnson: 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds
- Jaden Shackelford: 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 6-of-13 from 3, eight assists, seven rebounds
- Caleb McConnell: 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists
- Amen Thompson: 29 points on 12-of-26 shooting, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, two blocks
- Cam Whitmore: 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting, 7-of-14 from 3, three rebounds, four steals
- Jermaine Samuels Jr.: 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 3-of-7 from 3, five rebounds, four assists, four steals
The full highlights from the Blue’s two-point OT win over the Houston Rockets‘ G League affiliate can be watched below:
