The OKC Thunder narrowly beaten by the Utah Jazz – player grades
OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
The entire starting lineup really stuck to their roles tonight and it showed in the final results.
The OKC Thunder may seem to be a poor team but for the second season in a row, no one appears to have told the players.
B+. . G. Oklahoma City Thunder. GEORGE HILL
His first points were a technical free throw, mid-way through the second period.
Hill came alive in the third, helping to keep the Thunder in the game. While he still could not hit a three, he made multiple tough shots and showed there is more to his game than just the perimeter.
His offensive rebound in the final minutes was huge. His final stat line of 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals shows his all-around game.
A. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Solid in the first quarter, SGA did not try to take over when others were taking the load. He just kept the scoreboard ticking over with occasional plays driving into the lane.
He also got to the line a lot.
SGA came alive in the second half when the Thunder needed him. He ended up with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.
Though he missed the tough game-winner, remember, not even Michael Jordan hit them all.
PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. LU DORT. A+.
He forced Donovan Mitchell to take a shot from well outside in the arc to open his scoring more than halfway into the second quarter.
Offensively, Dort was one of the best on the night, scoring 26 points to go along with two rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
His 3-ball looked tremendous all game which was the knock on him coming out of college.
Oklahoma City Thunder. DARIUS BAZLEY. B. . SF
Darius Bazley played with his usual intensity including a huge block in the Thunder’s early run.
His shot looked good from deep in the first half.
He almost picked up his second double-double of the season with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Having said all this, he still needs to figure out how to have a bigger role late in games.
B+. . F/C. Oklahoma City Thunder. AL HORFORD
Horford hit his first two shots from deep. Then, he came back in during the second quarter to hit his third straight three.
His shot cooled off towards the end of the game but he was always in the right position defensively.
Things were happening with Horford on the court, as he finished with a plus ten in the box score at the end of the third period.