The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost Shai Gilgeous-Alexander until at least the All-Star Break where he will be re-evaluated for a right ankle sprain, at the time of SGA’s injury, they were 1-9 in their last ten games. Now? The OKC Thunder have ripped off three straight wins, despite losing their max contract point guard plus two key rookies in Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins. Isaiah Roby and Vit Krejci also are sidelined with foot issues.
Despite not having their best player, and two key pieces of their rotation, Mark Daigneault led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their second win this week against Portland with a victory over the Mavericks sandwiched in between.
Lu Dort’s hot shooting helps lift OKC Thunder past Portland down the stretch
The Oklahoma City Thunder had six players in double-figures and one with nine against the Blazers, spreading the wealth around on the offensive end. Given the injuries, The Thunder had to roll out an unorthodox lineup of Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Lu Dort, Darius Bazley, and Mamadi Diakite.
Josh Giddey continued to be a fantastic facilitator for the OKC Thunder, despite only three assists in the box score. The rookie guard also chipped in 16 points, while hauling in seven rebounds.
Mamadi Diakite played stifling defense down low on an uninterested Jusuf Nurkic while pouring in 12 points and bringing down seven rebounds. On that defensive end, Diakite swatted three shots. Ty Jerome, his former University of Virginia teammate joined him in the double-digit points club with 11 off the bench to go along with his slick assists tallying eight, and even grabs three defensive rebounds. That championship connection was a big part of why the Thunder won this contest.
Ahead of Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline, Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala showed why they are so coveted. Williams turned in 10 points while Muscala posted 11, but both made a huge impact beyond the points category. Williams dished out four assists, brought in six rebounds, and swiped two steals. For Muscala he earned five rebounds and a block to go with his pair of triples and clutch free throws.
Luguentz Dort logged 33 minutes in this game, knocking down four of his eight three-point attempts, grabbing seven rebounds, two assists, and a block, on his way to 23 points. Dort has been fantastic on this road swing, especially on the first leg of this back-to-back.
The OKC Thunder will be in Sacramento tomorrow for a battle with the Kings. Bally Sports Oklahoma will broadcast the game with Chris Fisher, the team’s normal play-by-play guy, returning to the broadcast following a lengthy absence due to COVID-19 Protocols. Oklahoma City Thunder sideline reporter, podcaster, and writer Nick Gallo filled in on the headset tonight and did a fantastic job calling the clutch Thunder win.