OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
Theo Maledon drew the start for George Hill tonight, and the young French prodigy did not disappoint. Maledon played 30 minutes, amassing 11 points, six rebounds to go along with two assists.
The numbers are not anything that will jump out of the stat sheet, but his composure at just 19 years of age should be a welcomed surprise to OKC Thunder fans. Maledon was able to fit in perfectly for Hill tonight. Expect Mark Daigneault to rely on the young guard moving forward.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his impressive display of penetrating the basket as Phoenix had no answer for OKC, as the Thunder are the number one team in the NBA at driving to the basket.
Alexander looked to be on triple-double watch as he scored 21 points in 30 minutes of action. SGA compiled seven rebounds to go along with his eight assists. The young Thunder point guard continues to look more and more comfortable as the season progresses.
Lu Dort and his reign of terror from downtown progressed in the contest as the Arizona State product hit four 3-pointers against the Suns, going for 4 of 8 from downtown.
Dort’s ability to drive to the basket has also been superb. There is not much the swingman cannot do on the court as he also drew the task of guarding the Suns best player on Wednesday night, Chris Paul. Paul still had a great game, but Dort frustrated CP3 multiple times at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Dort is the glue that holds this first unit together.
Darius Bazley showed a rather dismal performance shooting 4 of 13 from the field, but the former New Balance intern collected seven rebounds on the night to go along with his 10 points.
Bazley had some trouble on the defensive end while trying to stay with DeAndre Ayton, and he clearly could not seem to withstand the size of the big, opposing center.
At times it seems Bazley loses the ability to stay focused and, depending on how he starts a game, could tell how he finishes the contest. If his confidence is not there to start, it takes the young star a while to become acclimated to the game as the match progresses.
Al Horford was the player of the game in mind as the veteran center hit the 12,000 point mark in the second quarter of the contest. Horford did not miss from beyond the arc, shooting 5 out of 5 from distance. Horford looked incredibly fresh, pouring in 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of action.
Al’s absence in the paint was glaring in previous games, so it was a welcomed surprise to see Horford get to his spots in the paint to give OKC more size than they have witnessed in past weeks. It was entirely too easy to give ‘Big Al’ an A+ performance for his excellent basketball display.