OKC Thunder: Big man’s show against Pelicans: 3 takeaways

The OKC Thunder came out victors in their first matchup against Zion Williamson who had a stellar performance, and were inspired by some superb offense.

The OKC Thunder snatched a win over the New Orleans Pelicans in a high scoring encounter that showed off their improved offense.

This included an extraordinary Steven Adams 3-point highlight, a shooting clinic from Danilo Gallinari and the Thunder’s eighth straight win on the road.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Danilo Gallinari offensive spectacle:

Gallinari scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and was the top scorer for his team with 29 points, two rebounds, two steals, and an assist.

He was the go-to guy, in clutch time of the game and shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the perimeter. The Italian showed once again why he is such a reliable contributor. As he is consistently making tough shots and holding a firm presence in the paint.

This is very helpful for OKC as Gallinari is another versatile threat who can post up, dominate in smaller matchups and step up to lead and assert himself when he needs to.

OKC Thunder on fire from the field:

The OKC Thunder made 50 percent of their shots from the floor, and 48.1 percent from downtown.

It was exciting to watch as everyone had the chance to stamp their mark on the game. Whenever OKC’s offense is flowing, you know they’re going to be hard to stop.

Despite the Pelicans holding on and matching the Thunder’s intensity throughout the game, OKC was locked in and really didn’t stop draining jumpers.

The Thunder’s ability to have multiple scoring options is a huge part of why they do so well and makes for a tough scouting report for the opposition.

Steven Adams nails shot from behind the logo:

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1228145938759331841

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It was what everyone was waiting for —  a 3-point shot from Steven Adams. It finally happened and in incredible fashion.

Adams made a one-handed half-court buzzer-beater from behind the logo to end the second quarter.

NBA Twitter went wild, the OKC Thunder went wild and we all at home watched in astonishment. How did he do it? We still don’t know but what we do know is that Adams can make something so hard look effortless.

Not to mention the Steph Curry shimmy he added after putting up the 70-footer. Another crazy stat to add to the Kiwi’s resume.

As the OKC Thunder took home the victory, it was the big men who came out shining. A very fitting way to finish their last game before All-Star weekend.

We wish Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all the best when they take the court in Chicago. Enjoy all the All-Star festivities!