OKC Thunder deliver statement win vs. Lakers: Grades

Backcourt Grades:

Captain Chris Paul is still having a few turnover issues, but his fingerprints were stamped on this victory from the tip. The NBA is now piping in music and fans cheering so hearing the players isn’t as easy as it was during scrimmages.

Yet, Paul’s voice echoed throughout whether he was sending shade at LeBron’s free throw shooting (which worked!) or yelling out defensive directions to his teammates.

We noted in the preview how teams with solid guard play can feast on LA and clearly Chris Paul understands that!

Overall, CP3 scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished six dimes but had five turnovers. I’ll have more on Paul in the takeaways.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still isn’t looking completely comfortable when he’s running the point but he definitely showed signs of improvement.

He runs too many iso plays for my liking which likely wouldn’t stand out as much if his shot was falling. Since he’s been sporting that athletic sleeve on his leg for a while and many of his shots are short, I wonder how much of his shooting woes are tied to an injury.

That said, he filled up the box score and on this night I’d be remiss not to credit the full team effort.  Aside from his 3 for 11 from the field and lowest differential out of the starters, he delivered in other key areas. In all, he produced 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

He’s being aggressive and getting rewarded with trips to the line and those steals were impressive.  The one at mid-court that ended wth the dunk was his highlight move of the night.

Again, there is more coming in takeaways so I won’t go into it deeper dive here.