OKC Thunder: Mike Muscala season highlight features perfect scoring night

With the NBA season suspended Thunderous Intentions serves up the top three games for each OKC Thunder player. Mike Muscala is next up on the list.

OKC Thunder’s Mike Muscala is a versatile big man who emulates the modern NBA and can make buckets from beyond the arc.

This season he has arrived at his fourth city in his NBA career with hopes of doing his job to ensure depth in the second unit, backing up Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel.

He might be more like Gallinari than Adams and Noel due to his pure scoring ability which gives OKC more options on offense. This year he is averaging 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

Muscala can come off the bench and give the Thunder an extra boost when they are down. As the season has gone on, he has shown why Coach Billy Donovan traveled to Minnesota to recruit him.

There are key games where he has played excellent basketball but if you look at his performances since October it is throughout the months of January and February where he’s been at his best.

In January he averaged 6.9 points and in February 6.5. Naturally, with more game time, he has found great confidence in shooting the ball and in his role with the team.

Here are Muscala’s top three games so far.

Muscala steps up against Toronto:

On January 15th against the Toronto Raptors Noel and Abdel Nader were unable to play due to injury and Adams only played seven minutes after going down.

So it was up to Muscala to step up. He spent 31 minutes on the floor and made the most of every minute, playing arguably his best performance in a Thunder uniform.

Even though the OKC Thunder lost that game, he was able to show his shooting expertise when the game got away.

Muscala recorded 17 points (season-high), four rebounds, three assists, one block, and a steal. He displayed more than just his offensive skills.

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Big contribution in big win:

In a 140-111 victory over his old team the Atlanta Hawks on January 24th, Muscala once again had the opportunity for more minutes and did not disappoint.

He finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists on 71.4 percent shooting. Muscala also made four of his six 3-point attempts, capping off a night of significant contributions from the Thunder’s reserves.

It also led to a 58.1 percent field goal percentage for the Thunder in the game.

Click here to watch Muscala’s highlights from the match.

Perfect shooting display against New Orleans:

Muscala had a perfect shooting night in OKC’s last game before All-Star Weekend on February 13th.

Against the New Orleans Pelicans he went four of four from the floor and 100 percent from deep. Finishing as the best Thunder scorer of the night. At the end of the game, he had recorded 10 points, two rebounds, and two blocks.

It was an impressive showcase of his superb precision – one of the reasons he has gradually become a valuable part of OKC’s roster.