OKC Thunder pull off OT thriller over Nets – player grades
CHRIS PAUL. A+. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder
What more is there to say about Chris Paul and the absolute dominance he offers to close out games for the OKC Thunder?
Anyone who ever questioned his value both in terms of his production and leadership has the answer to both questions.
As noted he scored 20 of his 28 points in the final frame and overtime to lead OKC to the victory. He added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. His shot which was a bit off recently was on the mark in this outing shooting a highly efficient 9 of 15 from the field, 4 of 8 from deep and a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity stripe.
A-. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Proving the last game was simply an off night Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back to register 22 points on 8 of 18 from the field. His perimeter shot has taken a bit of a hit of late with him missing all three attempts again in this outing but he nailed all six of his free throws.
In addition, SGA chipped in four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. If there were a negative his four turnovers weren’t ideal but he sidled up to mentor Chris Paul to dominate in overtime.
He’ll be a shoo-in to play in the Rising Stars Game at All-Star weekend but it sure would be cool if Thunder Nation could rally to send both CP3 and SGA to play in the big game Sunday. That’s highly unlikely given the depth of guard talents in the West — but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So remember to get your votes in daily.