OKC Thunder: Player grades for second-half collapse against Grizzlies

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

It’s hard to argue against Brown. He wasn’t just the best reserve in the game for the OKC Thunder; he was the best player.

Brown logged just under 31 minutes in the game, and he made the most of every second. He made 77.8 percent of his shots for a team-high 19 points while also continuing to assert his dominance in the rebound game with 12.

To put an exclamation point on his performance, Brown came up with two steals and three blocks in the game while turning the ball over just one time.

In short, Brown was incredible.

Best opponent performance:

Dillon Brooks wasn’t the highest-profile player on the Grizzlies’ roster on Wednesday, but he certainly had the biggest impact.

Brooks shot 61.5 percent in the game and scored 25 points in approximately 28 minutes. He helped the Grizzlies gain control of the game in the third quarter as he erupted for 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

In closing:

The news of Gilgeous-Alexander’s prolonged absence is a hit to the OKC Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the court for the Thunder when he’s able to play, but there are players on the roster who have shown an ability to step up and lead the team when he’s out, so there’s no reason to write off the rest of the season just yet.

The Thunder have shown flashes of brilliance in a good portion of their games, and if the team could manage to string those flashes together now versus later, there might be an exciting end to the season for a team that wasn’t expected to be much of anything this year.

Click here to view the full box score.

The Thunder will have an extended break before hosting the Boston Celtics on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT.