OKC Thunder own clutch time versus Dallas Mavericks – player grades
. PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. CHRIS PAUL. A+
As is typical for Chris Paul his mastery is knowing time and place. For the majority of the game, his focus is on getting his teammates rolling and keeping everyone dialed into the task at hand. But, when the game is on the line unless someone is rolling with the hot hand he’s ready to take over and get the victory.
That’s precisely what occurred in this match as he scored 13 of his 17 points in the final four and half minutes of the final frame.
In the end, he registered 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. Plus he offered dogged defense in the closing minutes spurring on his teammates to follow suit.
For a team who’ve mastered winning in the clutch, perhaps it’s appropriate we serve up a new moniker for Chris Paul the Point God and change the reference to Mr. Clutch as he once again became that for the Thunder.
The game ball definitely belongs to CP3!
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER. A. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s clear Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing with confidence as he made his presence felt on the hardwood. At one point in the second quarter, Shai grabbed a rebound and glided down the court for an easy layin.
The crazy part is SGA is so smooth that the move looked like he was moving in slow motion but he literally sped past the entire Mavericks team like they were standing still.
On the night he filled up the stat sheet collecting a double-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds (the biggest late in the match), three assists, two steals, and a block.
His shot wasn’t falling quite as efficiently as his career nights of late but he was still a major factor in the game and particularly his defense was on point in the closing moments.