OKC Thunder: Player grades feature Dort’s exciting buzzer beater

OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:

There was no bigger moment on Wednesday than Dort sinking the game-winning 3-pointer for the OKC Thunder as time expired. But beyond that, Dort had a big game for the Thunder.

In 30:44 of on-court time, Dort hit 50 percent of his shots from the floor, including four of his seven shots from deep, to finish with 16 points in the game. Dort also finished with four rebounds in the game.

Dort has struggled to find his shot as of late, and it was certainly refreshing to see him looking comfortable on the court again.

Bazley struggled massively.

While Bazley has spent much of the season developing into a playmaker for the OKC Thunder, his struggles on Wednesday did little to help the Thunder succeed.

Bazley finished with zero points, missing all eight shots. The only thing that saves him from an F rating was his 10 rebounds, which were crucial in helping the team.

Horford is guaranteed to hit double digits in the scoring column almost every night. There’s so much to like about his game and what he brings to the OKC Thunder.

Horford chipped in 16 points on Wednesday on 43.8 percent shooting.

His shooting is usually always there, but Horford’s value really comes in is on the glass and, surprisingly enough, in the passing game. Horford finished with seven rebounds, three of which were hard-fought offensive boards. He also finished with seven assists, including dishing to Dort on the game-winning 3-pointer.

He’s a solid passer and continues to increase his value with every high assist game.

Maledon has earned his minutes thanks to his standout play this season. He’s one of the most promising young players on the Thunder roster, and he seems to get better with each game.

That mostly seemed to skip this game.

Maledon scored three points, making him one of only two starters to score less than 10 points in the game. What he lacked in shooting, he made up for in steals. Maledon finished with four steals on the night and also added three rebounds and three assists. He limited his turnovers to just one.

His work outside of scoring saved him from a lower grade.

Scoring a career-high is a big deal. It shines a light on what could potentially come from a player in the future. Most everyone is aware that Gilgeous-Alexander is a skilled player and future multiple-time All-Star. If there were any doubts before Wednesday’s game, those doubts should be gone.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 42-point performance was made even more impressive by how active he was outside of scoring. He added eight rebounds and four assists in the game while also finishing with one block. He also made 65 percent of his shots.

The Spurs had no answer for him. In the future, the same might be true for any other team the Thunder face.