OKC Thunder triumph as Bazely shines against Magic-player grades
By Brandon Dale
OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
. G. Oklahoma City Thunder. GEORGE HILL. A
George Hill was phenomenal as he poured in 18 points in just 27 minutes of action. Hill was able to draw multiple double teams, which gave the veteran point guard the ability to distribute the ball evenly as Hill had five assists on the night.
A. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Shai looked in control as he had his most complete game of the young season. SGA contributed seven assists to go along with his 16 points in 34 minutes of action. His passing was superb as he was able to drive and distribute with ease. The defense doubled him and was unsuccessful on multiple occasions.
B. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. LU DORT
Lu Dort cooled down after his blistering performance from the other night against the Utah Jazz, but he was able to put the ball on the floor Saturday night, making little impact in his 30 minutes of play. It was a rough shooting night for Lu as he only had nine points on 2 of 7 shooting. Dort held his own on the defensive end by hounding Terrance Ross in the fourth quarter.
SF. Oklahoma City Thunder. DARIUS BAZLEY. A+.
Darius Bazely was outstanding tonight as he recorded the third double-double of his young career. This was his first double-double of the season. Darius was active on both ends but made his mark slashing to the basket as he was able to move without the basketball while getting easy looks in the paint. The second-year starter had 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds, shooting 2 of 4 from beyond the arc.
A. . F/C. Oklahoma City Thunder. AL HORFORD
Al Horford started Saturday night reasonably hot, but his handprint was left on the game with under a minute to go in the 4th quarter when he hit a 3-point basket that sealed the OKC win. Horford had a well-balanced stat line Saturday night, scoring 12 points while adding six rebounds and dishing out four assists in the contest. Horford’s decisiveness on the offensive end has proved to bode well for the Thunder.