Grading Thunder players in overtime win over Dallas

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal in the comeback victory on Sunday night. He scored 38 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. He also shot an efficient 15-for-27 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, where he still holds a perfect 100 percent through his first five games. SGA is truly a star in this league and it might take a while for the rest of the league to take notice, but through five games, he’s averaging 31 points on the season. As the season progresses it’ll be interesting to see if he stays scoring the ball at this level.

The Thunder offense struggled offensively at times tonight, especially Tre Mann. With Josh Giddey out with an ankle injury for the third straight game, you would hope Mann would really show off his scoring ability in the starting lineup, but he just couldn’t put the ball in the net. He shot just 2-of-9 from deep and failed to convert on any of his four three-point attempts. Mark Daigneault decided to bench Mann in the fourth quarter and it’s easy to see why. Let’s hope Mann can find his groove soon and maybe returning to his role as the primary scorer off the bench will be beneficial for his game.

After a slow start to the season, Dort has looked fantastic in his past two games. Offensively, Dort added 16 points and six rebounds, however, it was on defense where Dort showed off his skills the most. Dort had the tough task of guarding Luka Doncic tonight and did a sensational job. We know he’s going to play hard every possession on defense, but for him to go after one of the best players in the league and stand his ground is impressive.

Aaron Wiggins does so many little things on the floor it’s hard to look at a box score and be blown away. However, Wiggins is an extremely solid player. In his third consecutive start, he put up five points, five rebounds, and four assists. He also recorded a plus/minus of +18.

Mark Daigneault loves to spice things up when it comes to the center position. With Chet Holmgren out for the season, Poku has received a few starting nods at the five spot despite his thin frame. Unfortunately, Poku did not play very well in this game, only scoring four points in 24 minutes of basketball.