OKC Thunder out duel the Rockets to even the series: Grades
By Sinjin Snope
OKC Thunder Starter Grades
Oklahoma City Thunder. CHRIS PAUL. A+. . PG
What a sensational performance from Chris Paul down the stretch of today’s game. He hit big shot after big shot as he finished the day with 26 points, 6 boards, and 3 steals. He has been the leader of the OKC Thunder all year, and this game was the perfect example of that.
. G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER. B+
Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did have a nice offensive game today, I felt like he had some small inconsistencies on the defensive end. However, despite those small moments, SGA stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. His all-around play is key is OKC wants to win this series.
PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. LU DORT. B+.
Another nice defensive performance from the cult hero Lu Dort tonight. He wasn’t as effective on Harden as the last game, but he still makes the Beard earn every single one of his points. Dort hit three triples tonight en route to 9 points and had some nice passes. He needs to keep finding ways to help on offense.
B-. . PF. Oklahoma City Thunder. DANILO GALLINARI
This was Gallinari’s weakest game so far this series. He did score 9 points and secure 3 rebounds. His most important role tonight was playing center in the OKC Thunder’s super small lineup that had good success closing the game for the second time in a row.
B+. . C. Oklahoma City Thunder. STEVEN ADAMS
I felt like this was Adams’ strongest game of the series so far. He scored 12 points and only grabbed 8 rebounds, but he was in the right position most of the time and he was active on both ends. He needs to be active and helpful while on the floor, he did just that tonight.