OKC Thunder grades: Young core busts loose in big win over Hawks
Coming off an exciting victory versus the Spurs the OKC Thunder took to Chesapeake for the front side of a back-to-back set featuring the Atlanta Hawks.
It was a homecoming for Danilo Gallinari and local player Trae Young with oddsmakers and most analysts assuming this would be another Thunder loss. Especially with the size, the Hawks have upfront and Al Horford resting.
However, everyone is learning that betting against this young Thunder club isn’t a wise investment as they registered their 14th victory of the season. Coincidentally, with the loss, the Hawks have the exact same record as the Thunder!
125. 118. 149. Final. 109
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave reason to ponder if he’s taken the All-Star snub as inspiration. He followed up his 42-point career-best outing versus the Spurs with 24 points against the Hawks. The truth is this is what SGA has been doing all season.
There was one big difference in this match which offered a glimpse of the future as the young core stepped up contributing some of their best efforts of the season. SGA, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, and Theo Maledon all contributed quality individual efforts on the same night.
The OKC Thunder rallied from an early nine-point deficit to win the second quarter (32-22) and take an eight-point lead (63-55) lead into halftime. The only thing OKC changed in the second half was their orange jerseys to white as the Hawks were wearing red which made for interesting viewing in the first half.
Despite a solid effort from the Hawks’ big men, neither Gallo or Young was a factor as OKC went on to garner the victory.
With that let’s dive into the grades from the match