OKC Thunder grinds past Rockets to take Game 3 in overtime – Grades

Chris Paul vowed to be better in Game 3, and he kept that promise with a virtuoso performance. This series no doubt carries a lot of emotion for Paul. The point god scored 26 points, grabbed 6 boards, and had 5 assists as well. If he plays with this level of poise, the OKC Thunder may very well turn this series on its head.

Another nice game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He scored 23 points on 50 percent shooting while also having seven rebounds and four steals. He did have some rough moments on defense tonight but overall SGA played very well and hit the biggest shot of his career up to this point with his 3-pointer late in the fourth that ultimately sent this game to overtime.

All I can say is wow when it comes to this young man. He is an absolute demon on the defensive end and is one of the only players that I truly enjoy watching on that side of the ball. Lu Dort scored nine points, had eight rebounds, and held Harden to 3 of 14 shooting while he was his primary defender. There may not be a better defender in the bubble right now, and he is showcasing it every night. What a joy he is to watch.

Very nice game from Gallinari tonight. Although he didn’t have a great shooting percentage, he hit timely triples and made all eight of his free throw attempts on his way to 20 points. His scoring is so important for the OKC Thunder in this series.

Solid performance from the Big Kiwi tonight. He only managed to score five points, but he did grab 13 rebounds and I felt he was moving better out there for the most part. Adams did leave the game late with a contusion, so that will be something to monitor heading into Monday’s pivotal Game 4.